The city of Goma transformed into a large camp for displaced people fleeing the M23 war

The city of Goma, capital of North Kivu, has been transformed for two days into a large camp for displaced people fleeing fighting between the FARDC and the M23 rebellion, supported by the Rwandan army.

According to local sources, these people, deprived of everything, are flooding the western part of the volcanic city including the Lac Vert, Mugunga and Ndosho districts.

Their arrival created widespread psychosis among the population of Goma.

These new displaced people come from Nzulo, Sake, Mubambiro and other localities in the Kalehe territory in South Kivu and are added to many others who are in already saturated sites.

The president of the Bulengo camp says that some of these people spent the night in the open, due to a lack of shelter available in the camps.

However, many civil society actors deplore that no measures have been taken by the provincial authorities to welcome these people in distress.

They call on the authorities to urgently activate the humanitarian contingency plan to help all these displaced people.

« The problem is that we have to imagine a plan for how to welcome these people and how to direct them because there is no such humanitarian contingency plan. This country did not go to elections in 2023 to witness the disasters we are witnessing today. If all these people are abandoned, why are we going to say that we have authorities who work for the interest of the people? “, one of them was indignant.

For its part, the urban civil society of Goma calls on the population to show solidarity, while remaining vigilant.