On Congo’s Idjwi Island, darkness leaves traders exposed to counterfeit cash

Record ID: 2372689

  • Title: On Congo’s Idjwi Island, darkness leaves traders exposed to counterfeit cash
  • Date: 2nd April 2026
  • Summary: IDJWI ISLAND, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (FILE - MARCH 1, 2026) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS)  VARIOUS OF FLOUR SELLER, SIFA BIFUKO, USING TORCH TO SELL FLOUR / FLOUR IN BUCKET  (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) FLOUR SELLER, SIFA BIFUKO, SAYING:     "My son coming from Goma brought me this torch. But if there is no sun, it cannot charge. When there is sun, it produces light. But when it
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: DRC crisis enerdy government light power power grid solar
  • Location: IDJWI ISLAND, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 
  • City: IDJWI ISLAND, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA001656923032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:As darkness falls over Idjwi Island’s markets, vendors like Sifa Bifuko switch on small solar‑powered torches to keep selling. But the weak light creates opportunities for fraud.
       “Around 6 p.m., when it gets dark, some people give me damaged 500‑ or 1,000‑franc notes (about USD 0.22–0.43),” says Bifuko, a flour seller who relies on a solar‑charged torch that often fails when clouds block the sun.
       Nearby, fellow vendor Immaculée Ngangura grips her torch in her mouth as she counts money, straining to check each note. “When there is no light, some people give us counterfeit notes,” she says. “When we count the money later, we sometimes find it’s not complete.”
       Idjwi Island, isolated in Lake Kivu, is home to around 300,000 people who have never had access to grid electricity. Recurring conflict, limited investment and the island’s remoteness, it is reachable only by boat,have left it disconnected from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s power grid since the 1940s. With no formal electricity supply, residents improvise.
       Bahozi Venant, a resident of Idjwi, uses a small solar panel, his only source of power, to charge his phone. For Venant, the modest panel represents a significant improvement. He previously relied on kerosene lamps for light and had to walk to neighbours’ homes to charge his phone, but only when there was sun.
       During the rainy season, he says, he was often left completely disconnected from the outside world, cut off from news about the wider conflict engulfing Congo.
       The electricity shortage is also evident at Radio Kalinga, the island’s community station. Its director, Albert Cinyabuguma, faces repeated broadcast disruptions caused by power shortages.The station’s solar panels are frequently insufficient to meet broadcasting and equipment needs.
       “We created this radio, but we face many major challenges to operate the station,” Cinyabuguma says. “As you know, in Idjwi we have many problems related to energy. There is no electricity, except for local means that the population uses.”
       Authorities have previously acknowledged the island’s lack of power and discussed electrification plans, but residents say progress remains slow and inconsistent.
       As night falls and Idjwi slips once more into darkness, traders say they are still waiting for a lasting solution,  one that could protect livelihoods, strengthen services and improve daily life.
    ($1 = 2,300 CDF) 
    (Production: Victoire Mukenge, Ngouda Dione, Angela Ukomadu)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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