The Banyene family’s return to Sake, a town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was far from a homecoming.
When they arrived in January, all that remained of their home was a crumbling wall and a sagging metal roof.
Shell casings from automatic weapons littered the yard, remnants of the conflict between the DRC’s army and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group that had ravaged their hometown.
Like most of Sake’s residents, the Banyenes had sought refuge in a displaced persons camp on the outskirts of Goma, some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away.
That was until early February, when the M23, having seized Goma in a swift offensive, ordered the displaced to return to their homes.
Within days, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, crammed together in dire conditions, were sent back to what little was left of their communities.
For Tumani Feresi, one of the Banyene family's elder brothers, returning home was a relief, even if the conditions were harsh. “It’s better to be at home than in the camps,” he said. But the family had left the camps with nothing and struggled to survive. “We have difficulty eating,” Feresi added.
While Sake begins to show signs of life again, the scars of conflict remain.
Many of the town's fragile wooden homes, scattered among grey volcanic rock, bear clear evidence of the violence.
The Banyenes have used tarpaulins to patch up their home, and two tents were hastily set up to accommodate the 20 or so family members, from young children to the elderly.
As farmers, the Banyenes are eager to return to their fields, but they fear the unexploded bombs that still litter the land. “If a woman goes to the field to get firewood, she will be raped there,” said Kivuruga, another of the Banyene brothers.
He explained that, although the M23 had restored security to the region, the lingering threat of militias loyal to the DRC army and the ever-present risk of violence made everyday life dangerous.
Despite these risks, life in Sake has improved.
Many businesses, including shops, have reopened since mid-February, and the town's market is bustling with residents selling fruits and vegetables from the fertile hills of the province.
But the streets are not free of danger.
Fighters from the M23 sometimes emerge at night to rob locals, said Kivuruga.
Elsewhere in the region, villages along the road to South Kivu's provincial capital, Bukavu, tell a similar story of hardship. In Shasha, a village nestled in the mountains by Lake Kivu, Sarah Kahindo described her return in January as bittersweet.
“I was happy when I returned home,” she said, but her house had been looted, despite her field being in good condition. "My field was in good condition, but our house had been completely looted,” she added.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that nearly half of those returning to North and South Kivu found their fields occupied by people from other areas.
Worse still, over 10% found their homes had been taken over by strangers.
But Kahindo, like many others, feels safer now under the M23's control.
"Since the M23 arrived, there has been no problems with security,” she said. “We sleep well and work in our fields without problems.”
However, the economic recovery remains slow. Banks in M23-controlled areas are still closed due to orders from the DRC government. The DRC accuses the M23 of acting as a proxy for Rwanda to exploit its mineral and agricultural resources – a charge Rwanda denies.
“We can sell things, but it’s difficult to find a buyer because there’s no money,” said Kahindo.
At the Minova port, a key commercial hub for Goma and surrounding areas, traders reported a sharp decline in business.
The market, typically open late into the evening, was empty by early nightfall, a reflection of the region’s economic struggles.
“There is no more money for business,” said Sylvie, a local shopkeeper whose home was also destroyed during the fighting.
