<\/p>\n
Cash has become so scarce in Goma, the eastern Congolese city seized by anti-government fighters in January, that some parents are now paying school fees in cans of palm oil.<\/p>\n
After the city fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 group, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped supplying cash to banks in M23-controlled areas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Banks have since closed, cash points are all but empty and residents of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, are forced to fend for themselves for their everyday purchases.<\/p>\n
“The priority at the moment is to have something to eat,” said Richard Mbueki, a teacher at the Majengo school, as he lifted a can of oil left by a parent.<\/p>\n
“We are just getting by, this situation is untenable,” he said.<\/p>\n
Parents “show up at school offering food and the school asks them to present a sample”, said Augustin Vangisivavi, an official at the Majengo school.<\/p>\n
The school then “looks for which teachers are interested” in the goods.<\/p>\n
“A price is set that corresponds to the market price, then the equivalent currency is entered into the school’s accounts before a receipt is issued,” Vangisivavi said.<\/p>\n
It is an interim solution, but one that could drag on.<\/p>\n
Talks between the DRC and Rwanda, who have committed to work towards a draft peace agreement, have yet to have any impact on the daily lives of the Congolese living in M23-controlled areas.<\/p>\n
For now, Majengo school, as well as the city’s new authorities, urge residents to use mobile payment solutions.<\/p>\n
But that mode of payment is not yet widely used in Goma, unlike in countries in east Africa.<\/p>\n
Money changers set rates that are out of reach for many people in one of the world’s poorest countries, prompting the M23 to announce a fixed rate in order to limit excesses.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Those still lucky enough to be paid a salary cannot access their bank accounts.<\/p>\n
Mbueki, the schoolteacher, like many other workers, crosses the border into Rwanda to withdraw cash, but that entails additional charges.<\/p>\n
Civil servants and people working for international organisations, who are paid by bank transfer, are also affected.<\/p>\n
The sluggish economy, the departure of some international staff and the cash shortage have also cost many locals their jobs.<\/p>\n
“Since the war, there are almost no more opportunities, so for now I’m a housewife,” said Godel Kahamby, who was a public service employee.<\/p>\n
“We’ve already significantly cut back on our expenditure: no new clothes, no expensive meals, no entertainment,” she said.<\/p>\n
“For now, what’s important is our survival.”<\/p>\n
Basic necessities are still delivered to the city, but the economy is clearly suffering.<\/p>\n
“We find the goods, but we don’t have buyers,” said Innocent, who sells building materials.<\/p>\n
The streets around Birere market are unusually quiet.<\/p>\n
Boats embarking on Lake Kivu towards neighbouring South Kivu province depart half empty.<\/p>\n
“Before the war, I could sell 20 bags of corn flour a week, but currently even 10 bags a month is a blessing,” grumbled Nelson Kombi, a trader in Goma’s Majengo district.<\/p>\n
Food prices have risen because of supply difficulties and new taxes imposed by the warring parties on both sides of the front line.<\/p>\n
The M23 has set up a financial authority while waiting for the banks to reopen and has called on people to put their savings into it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So far it has not been successful, and experts believe the authority should be limited to centralising taxes paid to the armed group.<\/p>\n
And amid the shortage of dollars and Congolese francs, the country’s two main currencies, criminality has soared on the streets of Goma and Bukavu at night.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
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