DR Congo Soldiers' Widows: "We Want Our Husbands' Salaries"

In a makeshift camp in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, soldiers' widows sleep on mattresses placed directly on the ground, sheltered only by plastic sheeting. They say they fled the city of Goma after M23 rebels captured it in January 2025. Now left with nothing, their demand is simple: a share of their late husbands' military pensions. "We are asking for our husbands' salaries," one widow explained. The group is calling on authorities to grant them access to the pension benefits owed to their spouses, who died fighting in the region's long-running conflict.