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“Barbaric act”, “act of blind hatred”, Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis on Bombing of Mugunga IDP Camp in DR Congo

Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO). Credit: CENCO

By Jude Atemanke

Kinshasa, 08 May, 2024 / 10:00 pm (ACI Africa).

The bombing of Mugunga camp of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the outskirts of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that resulted in over a dozen deaths and injuries was a “barbaric act”, Catholic Bishops in the Central African nation have said about the attack that Pope Francis has described as an “act of blind hatred”.

In a Monday, May 6 statement members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) condemn “in the strongest terms” the May 3 bombing that, according to a May 7 Reuters report, involved over five rockets, resulting in the death of at least 18 people, and the injury of 32 others. 

The Catholic Church leaders say they “followed with great emotion and indignation the bombing of the Mugunga camp on the outskirts of the town of GOMA by unidentified gunmen, causing dozens of deaths and hundreds of wounded.”

CENCO members say they “condemn in the strongest terms this barbaric act, which constitutes a denial of humanity”, and remind the perpetrators of this act that “human life is sacred and belongs to God, who will not let them go unpunished.”

The Catholic Bishops also condemn the “resolution of conflicts through violence.”

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In their statement, CENCO members condole with the Local Ordinary of Goma, Bishop Willy Ngumbi, as well as “the biological families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy” and  “the entire Church Family of God in Goma.”

They assure the injured of their “prayers for comfort and healing from the Lord.”

“It is difficult to understand why the M23 rebels, supported by the Rwandan army, and the FARDC loyalist forces, who are fighting each other, are inviting each other to position themselves on either side of a camp for displaced people that has existed for years, thus permanently exposing poor people who are already living as dispossessed people,” the Catholic Church leaders say in the their May 6 statement that CENCO Secretary General, Mons. Donatien Nshole, signed. 

They add, “It is also surprising that this tragedy should occur at the gateway to Goma, a hyper-militarized city where many indications were given inviting the competent authorities to go on maximum alert to secure the population.”

CENCO members call upon the M23 rebels to “lay down their arms, as Congolese cannot claim to be saving the Congo by killing Congolese.”

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They also call on Rwanda to “stop supporting the rebellion.”

The Catholic Church leaders further call on the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to “expedite an independent inquiry to establish responsibility, and to bring the various parties involved in this conflict, which has already claimed many lives, to stop the war immediately.”

They urge the Félix Antoine Tshisekedi-led government to be “firm and effective, so as not to continue to let its people be killed with impunity, contenting itself only with half-hearted and non-committal condemnations. The population, already a victim of this imposed war, no longer knows which way to turn.”

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has expressed sorrow following the May 3 attack and appealed to political leaders in the DRC to work “in the service of peace and fraternity.”

In a Wednesday, May 8 telegram addressed to Bishop Ngumbi of Goma Diocese, Pope Francis says he learned with sorrow of "the cowardly attack perpetrated in the refugee camp of Mugunga.”

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“His Holiness Pope Francis wishes to be close to all those affected by this act of blind hatred, in which many children were not spared,” the telegram that was signed by the Secretary of State,  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, reads in part.

Pope Francis says he “supports the injured and the grieving families with his prayers and prays for the repose of all those who lost their lives.”

He goes on to urge the people of God in DRC to “keep hope alive”, and exhorts “all political actors to work resolutely in the service of peace and brotherhood.”

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.