Between Two Battles | From Survival To Governance

Nadine Sayiba Mbila, lawyer, gender expert, and founder of Cabinet Nadine Sayiba et Associés (CNSA), plays tennis at a court in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on February 13, 2026.

Away from the courtroom and conference rooms where she fights daily for the rights of women and victims of sexual violence in one of the world's most active conflict zones, Sayiba Mbila finds in sport a space of discipline, resilience, and renewal. For a legal defender who navigates the complexities of transitional justice, mining law, and gender advocacy in a region still scarred by decades of armed conflict, the tennis court offers a rare moment of personal balance a reminder that behind every public battle for justice stands a woman who must also preserve her own strength to keep fighting.

As eastern DRC continues to draw international attention amid fragile ceasefire negotiations, advocates like Sayiba Mbila remain the backbone of a civil society determined to ensure that peace, when it comes, is built on justice.

©Isaac Bujirwa | Sote Pamoja DRC & FCRJ London