- Title: Love in limbo as Congo rebels halt civil marriages
- Date: 2nd April 2025
- Summary: BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (MARCH 23, 2025) (REUTERS) COUPLE BLAISE MUKENGE AND NADIA WALKING IN ALLEY MUKENGE AND NADIA ENTERING HOUSE VARIOUS OF MUKENGE AND NADIA SITTING IN LIVING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (French) BUKAVU RESIDENT, BLAISE MUKENGE, SAYING: "Our worry and fear is getting married and then after some time having the authorities tell us our marriages are no
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- Keywords: Legal Wedding africa bukavu conflict congo democratic drc eastern insurgencies kivu lake military peace republic rwanda security war
- Location: BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- City: BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001006119032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A wedding meant to herald a fresh start has become emblematic of eastern Congo’s ongoing turmoil as rebel control leaves couples in legal limbo.
Blaise Mukenge and his fiancée Nadia planned to wed in early January. But when M23 rebels seized parts of Bukavu, routine municipal operations ground to a halt and civil ceremonies were suspended.
“Our worry and fear is getting married and then after some time having the authorities tell us our marriages are no longer recognized because they were conducted when the city was under rebel control,” Mukenge said.
Amid escalating conflict and a collapse of government services, couples across the region face unprecedented legal challenges. With civil institutions paralyzed, marriages performed during occupation risk invalidation, effectively halting even religious ceremonies that require prior state registration.
“I came to see if I could get married as I was posted since February. I found some authorities are here. But I'm worried, I have doubts about the legality of this marriage,” said Bukavu resident Patrick Bwira, highlighting fears over the validity of pending civil documents.
At Cerpi Bethanie Evangelical Church, Reverend Pastor Bonane Lwesso stressed that state registration remains mandatory before any church ceremony.
“State institutions register the marriage. It's after that they come to church. That means, if you haven't been to the girl's family, if you haven't justified your marriage registration with state institutions, we cannot register or bless this marriage,” he said.
On the outskirts of Bukavu and less affected by the occupation, civil status officer Luc Mulimbwa Mirindi urged residents to continue registering their civil acts.
“I call on the population to come register their marriages at the Civil Status Office as usual… Everything happening here conforms to Congolese law,” he said, even as insecurity persists.
Left with little recourse, some couples have turned to traditional chieftaincy ceremonies. In Bukavu's Kabare neighborhood, some wedding celebrations continue amid a fragmented reality, with couples exchanging vows and signing certificates under the shadow of an uncertain legal future.
(Production: Ngouda Dione) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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