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Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele,  Goma Diocese Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele, Goma Diocese  

DRC: The truce in the city of Goma is holding, but people are afraid to venture out, says Bishop Ngumbi

“The city (of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo) is relatively calm, but the people are still afraid to leave their homes and venture out because security is not fully guaranteed,” says Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele of Goma Diocese. He was speaking to Agenzia Fides from Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which has been overrun by the M23 rebels.

Vatican News.

Shortage of medicines in hospitals

Asked about the situation of schools, Bishop Ngumbi said, “Most schools are still closed, also because many school buildings have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the war.” He added, “The most serious situation is in hospitals accommodating many injured. The health institutions are also struggling due to a shortage of medicine and equipment.”

“Internet connection remains difficult; people are making do with makeshift solutions to stay connected with the outside world,” the Bishop observed.

Before it fell into the hands of the rebels, the City of Goma already had about a million internally displaced persons -many of them arriving from northern regions of Goma in areas that first fell to the rebels. Their situation is currently uncertain because “refugee camps have also been closed, and those among the displaced who still have a home that is not destroyed are returning to them. Those who cannot return are squatting wherever they can in precarious conditions,” said the prelate of Goma.

Ceasefire for “humanitarian reasons”

It is a complicated crisis. The Ceasefire was declared by a coalition of politically connected militias calling itself the River Congo Alliance (Alliance Fleuve Congo), of which M23 is an important player. Announcing the unilateral ceasefire “for humanitarian reasons,” the rebels also contradicted a statement earlier issued by M23 by saying they had “no intention of taking control of Bukavu or other localities” in Congo. Earlier, M23 had said they intended to “continue the march” to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

“At the moment, the truce is holding, but people are still afraid to venture outside because they do not feel completely safe,” says Bishop Ngumbi.

Bishops present their peace project

In a bid to peacefully resolve the crisis, President Felix Tshisekedi received a delegation of Bishops from the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) in Kinshasa.

During the talks, the Head of State was presented with a reconciliation project developed by CENCO and the Church of Christ in Congo (Église du Christ au Congo -ECC). The reconciliation project designed by the two Church organisations is an initiative that proposes an exit strategy from the eastern Congo crisis.

According to CENCO Secretary General Monsignor Donatien Nshole, the DRC prelates explained their peace initiative to President Tshisekedi, who listened attentively to the presentation. He later thanked and commended the prelates for the project.

 

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04 February 2025, 16:52