"It was a miracle that more newborns didn't die": Goma Catholic Bishop on Violence in Eastern DR Congo

Displaced by the conflict take shelter in a school that has been left standing despite the bombing. Credit: Caritas Goma (North Kivu)

The Congolese member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (M.Afr.) was in Brussels when Goma, the capital and largest city of North Kivu Province in the Eastern DRC was overrun by the M23 rebels, visiting the headquarters of the Commission of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE).

He immediately returned to the country, landing in Kinshasa on January 28 and arriving by road in Goma on February 3, as the city's airport remains closed, preventing the evacuation of the wounded and the arrival of humanitarian aid.

The bombings have hit several structures managed by the Catholic Church, such as the Charity maternity hospital in Goma, where Bishop Ngumbi first visited following his return from Europe.

"One of the bombs fell on the neonatology unit. Mothers are traumatized. I told myself that it was a miracle that more newborns didn't die," he told ACI Prensa.

Thousands of people have lost everything because of the war. Credit: Caritas Goma (North Kivu)

A Call for Peace: The Social Pact

Amid the protracted violence, Bishop Ngumbi has sought paths to peace. On February 12, he was in the delegation of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) that, together with that of the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), met with Corneille Nangaa of the Alliance Fleuve Congo party (AFC/M23), a coalition of rebel groups in the DRC to discuss a “social pact for peace and harmonious coexistence in the DRC and the Great Lakes region.”

During the meeting, Bishop Ngumbi presented his proposal for a Social Pact for Peace and Well-being, a roadmap to end violence and promote peaceful coexistence in the Great Lakes region.

"We have to get out of the fratricidal logic and subordinate all interests to that of peace," the Congolese Catholic Bishop said. He also stressed the importance of dialogue to prevent the conflict from spreading to other countries, such as Burundi, which could trigger a regional crisis.

There are many displaced people in camps without electricity, water and food. Credit: Caritas Goma (Nord Kivu)

"If we propose this inclusive dialogue, it is precisely to avoid the globalization of conflict," he warned, and added, "The rebels are our brothers."

M23 rebels should not be seen only as enemies, since they are part of the community, Bishop Ngumbi went on to say, and added, "Even when we talk about the M23, the AFC or the government, we are all brothers. The young people of the M23 are young people from our neighbourhoods."

He emphasized the need to find ways towards harmonious coexistence, saying, "We must find a way for people to live together in happiness, not in conflict."

The Local Ordinary of Goma Diocese since May 2019 highlighted the deep interdependence between the peoples in the region as important. He said, "We are all brothers and sisters in this region. Just look at the relations between Rwandans and Congolese: marriages, economic exchanges...".

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Goma airport remains closed, preventing humanitarian aid from entering. Credit: Caritas- Goma (Nord Kivu)

"It is important that our rulers and authorities sit down to negotiate and ask themselves what is not working. Why do we have to be at war all the time? It is urgent to restore peace in this region," he appealed.

The economic background of the conflict

Bishop Ngumbi is not unaware that behind Rwanda's support for the M23 there are economic interests, especially the exploitation of the abundant mineral resources of Eastern DRC.

"We cannot forget that the root of the conflict is, to a large extent, the exploitation of Congo's natural resources," he said.

The Congolese Catholic Bishop lamented the paradox that DRC, a country immensely rich in natural resources, has a population plunged into poverty due to violent conflicts. "It is a shame that we have such a rich country and such an impoverished population, precisely because of the conflicts," he lamented.

Displaced persons and humanitarian crisis

The M23 offensive has forced thousands of people to flee their homes. The rebels' capturing of Goma at the end of January also led to the departure of hundreds of aid workers, as many NGOs are based in the city.

The M23 offensive has forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Credit: Caritas-Goma (Nord Kivu)

In makeshift camps, displaced people live in inhumane conditions. "They have no food or water because they had to flee with the clothes on their backs to save their lives," the Bishop of Goma said.

He has cautioned the international community against abandoning the Congolese people. He said, "This is not the time to leave us alone. It is time to be present with us. To those who have left, I ask you to return, in the hope that conflict will be a thing of the past and that we will move towards peace."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, ACI Africa’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Africa.