GOMA, Congo ? A women-led music festival in Goma drew nearly 3,000 people at the end of March, offering residents of eastern Congo a rare public moment of celebration and solidarity in a city shaped by war and displacement.

In its report from the event, The Associated Press said the three-day Musika na Kipaji festival was organized by women, featured performances centered on peace and unity, and unfolded in a city that has lived under M23 rebel rule since January 2025.

The humanitarian backdrop remained severe. In a UNHCR briefing from Goma, the agency said more than 33,000 Congolese refugees had returned from Burundi within a month and warned that eastern Congo remained unstable despite border reopening and peace efforts.

Violence against women has been one of the sharpest parts of that crisis. UN Women's Congo emergency page says conflict in the east has contributed to severe protection risks for women and girls, including widespread sexual violence and displacement.

Against that backdrop, the festival functioned as more than an entertainment event. It became one of the few places where young people in Goma could gather openly around art and a shared appeal for social cohesion.