At least 20 killed in school fire in rebel-held DR Congo city

What the report says

At least 20 people were killed in a fire in the rebel-held Congolese city of Bukavu, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing local media and medical sources. The victims included primary school students, and officials said the blaze struck the Chimpunda district, in South Kivu province, on Thursday morning. The affected area was reported to include the Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools and a nearby settlement.

Al Jazeera reported that the fire spread quickly and was followed by a stampede as children and others tried to escape. Local officials gave differing early death tolls: one rebel administration official said 24 people died, while a clinic nurse told AFP that at least 14 of the dead were children under 10. The article said dozens more people were injured, with some in critical condition from smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire had not been established at the time of publication, and the reported death toll was still considered provisional. Local media also said the flames damaged hundreds of homes and a clinic in the surrounding area. Bukavu has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebel movement since its advance in eastern DR Congo last year, making the incident part of a broader pattern of insecurity in the region.