By Emmanuel Nduka
Journalists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are facing mounting threats as conflict intensifies in the country’s east, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which warns the country is becoming one of the most dangerous places for media workers in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
RSF says reporters are increasingly caught between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and the Congolese army (FARDC), with both sides exerting pressure on the media.
Since the rebels seized key eastern cities in 2025, journalists say their work has changed drastically, with many operating under fear of arrest, reprisals, or coercion.
According to the RSF, about 500 journalists have been arrested over the past decade, with more than half of those cases recorded in the DRC. Many of the detentions last for months or even years, with some journalists reportedly held in harsh and overcrowded makeshift prisons controlled by M23 fighters.
Media freedom is also under increasing strain as both authorities and armed groups tighten control over information. RSF says the High Council for Audiovisual and Communication has reinforced restrictions on war coverage, while M23 rebels have censored broadcasts and imposed their own narratives.
The worsening security situation has forced nearly 90 journalists to flee the eastern provinces since 2023, highlighting the rapidly shrinking space for independent reporting in the conflict-hit region.
