Fire at Cimpunda Schools Kills at Least 26 Children in M23-Held Bukavu

A fire broke out on Avenue Kasheke in the Cimpunda neighborhood of AFC/M23-held Bukavu, South Kivu, on Thursday, Sept 10, spreading from a residential house into the adjoining Furaha and Ujamaa primary schools during class hours and triggering a fatal stampede among students. UNICEF confirmed at least 26 children dead (19 girls, 7 boys, mostly from FARAJA Primary School) and 25 injured; provincial authorities gave a provisional toll as high as 29 as bodies were recovered from Bukavu General Hospital's morgue and university clinics. About 50 homes were also destroyed, and the city's fire service required help from Rwanda's brigade to bring the blaze under control. South Kivu's provincial government, led by spokesperson Didier Kabi, accused the AFC/M23 administration of prioritizing tax collection over civil protection infrastructure; UNICEF's DRC representative John Agbor called for immediate psychosocial support and continuity of schooling, and said 11 separated children had been reunited with families by Sept 11.