Fire in Bukavu: the Ministry in charge of Education’s services are instructed to draw up a ‘documented’ assessment

Kinshasa, September 10th, 2026 (ACP ).- The Ministry in charge of National Education of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has instructed the relevant services to draw up a documented assessment of the schools affected by the fire in Bukavu, the main city of Sud-Kivu, a province in the east of the country, according to a press release issued on Thursday. “The Minister of State has instructed the relevant services of the Ministry to draw up a documented assessment of the situation at the affected schools, to identify the immediate needs of the pupils, teachers and affected school communities, and to examine, together with the relevant educational and humanitarian stakeholders, the necessary measures to assist those affected and ensure the continuity of learning,” it is read. According to the source, the incident, which occurred on Thursday in Funu, has notably affected the Furaha and Ujamaa primary schools. According to initial information provided by the Ministry, several people have been killed in the fire, including pupils, whilst several others have been injured. The Ministry has clarified that the death toll remained provisional and was likely to be adjusted gradually as the information gathered from various sources is collated and verified. He has also emphasized that the exact circumstances and cause of the fire had yet to be established, calling for a thorough and independent investigation to enable appropriate measures to be taken to protect the local population and school facilities. This latest incident has occurred against a backdrop of a resurgence in fires in Bukavu. For several weeks now, a number of the city’s neighborhoods have been affected, with homes, shops and schools destroyed. On September 2nd, two schools – EP Uhuru and the Fariala Institute – had been ravaged by fire in the Cahi neighborhood. ACP/