Dozens of DR Congo schools remain shut amid staff protest

More than 100 schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern region of Beni have been closed for almost two weeks amid a protest by teachers.

Dozens of school staff refuse to return to class following the killing of three teachers during a jihadist attack last month.

The staff, co-ordinated by unions, have said they will only begin teaching once the results of an investigation into the attack are published.

At least 26 people were killed by machetes when a militia group stormed the Masosi locality overnight on 24 October.

Congolese Army spokesperson Captain Anthony Mualushayi told the BBC that five people are still missing following the attack.

The army attributed the killings to an Islamist group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), originally from Uganda.

As an investigation into the attack continues, negotiations between authorities and the protesting education unions have stalled.

According to the International Organization for Migration, around 6.9 million people in DR Congo have been forced from their homes this year, with the majority fleeing due to instability caused by the 200-plus armed groups active in the east of the nation.