Perpignan – British photographer Hugh Kinsella Cunningham – recognised for his striking images of civilians displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo – wants to bring the untold story of the M23 rebellion to "as many new audiences as possible." His work recently earned him the ICRC Humanitarian Visa d’Or award, an honour given to photographers who excel in documenting humanitarian crises.
Through his lens, Cunningham captures both the destruction of war and the resilience of the human spirit, aiming to shed light on a conflict that has been long overlooked.
"The pictures in this exhibition basically chart this [M23] conflict, which perhaps not many people have heard of," Cunningham told RFI at the Visa Pour l’Image photojournalism festival, which ends on Sunday in Perpignan.
The March 23 Movement (M23) had been dormant in eastern DRC for a decade, but by late 2021, the Rwandan government and army began rearming them, leading the group to resume raids into Congo, the Goma-based photographer explained.
Over the past two years, Cunningham has photographed displacement camps in North Kivu, where civilians have been forced to live amid the fighting between government forces and the M23. His images also capture frontline areas and attacks on civilians.
"Since the front lines have been moving and moving, civilians basically have nowhere left to run. There's a front line of artillery positions that surround the city of Goma," Cunningham said.
"Airstrikes are ongoing, and I was able to be present for a couple of really tragic events, including a rocket strike on a displacement camp … these huge networks of white tents, outside Goma … the death toll of that attack was announced as around 35 people."
Nearly seven million people have been displaced by the conflict in the DRC, with up to one million in North Kivu province alone. Cunningham explained that it’s difficult to visualise such a large number:
"I think it's very interesting now to use modern technology, to use drones to photograph. It's an amazing way of visualising the scale of the destruction. It works almost like a forensic act as well, to photograph munition strikes with a drone. This is evidence of a crime scene."
Cunningham also struggled with limited humanitarian access.
"Due to the severity of the conflict, but also because armed forces and states are so aware of the power of image and narrative at the moment, gaining unrestricted access to front lines or red zones is extremely complicated," he said.
"Even rebel groups have press offices and spokespeople now, which feels very surreal. But everyone wants to control their narrative, so it's very hard to sneak in through the cracks and show the truth."
With his project and the ICRC Humanitarian Visa d’Or award, Cunningham aims to highlight the conflict and its devastating impact on civilians, raising awareness and driving global attention to the crisis.
► Visa pour l'image runs from 31 August to 15 September, 2024.
