“We keep our eyes set on Jesus”: Catholic Missionary Priest in DR Congo on People’s Resilience amid Escalated Violence

ACN has reported that the fighting in the East of DRC has led to a worsening of the humanitarian conditions in the region.

A missionary in the Central African nation has told ACN that over 2,000 people have been killed, and that the hospitals are overrun with wounded. Even refugee camps have been attacked.

Reports indicate that nearly 3,000 people have been killed in a fighting between M23 militants and the national army over control of Goma, the capital and largest city of North Kivu Province in the Eastern region of DRC

Fr. Oliveira has told ACN that the entire region of North Kivu is experiencing a deteriorating humanitarian situation.

“The city of Goma is still in a state of conflict between the Congolese army and the M23. Over 2,000 people have been killed, and there are thousands of wounded. The hospitals are crowded, and the refugee camps have been attacked as well,” the Comboni Missionary Priest has been quoted as saying.

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He adds in the ACN report, “The goal of the M23 is to take the city of Goma, which plays a major role in the life of the country.”

In the fight, many prisoners reportedly escaped the men’s wing of the central prison. Tragically, many of these escapees attacked the women’s wing, raping more than a hundred inmates.

Fr. Oliveira says that many women and children have been killed following the jailbreak. “In the midst of the confusion, some prisoners have also set fire to the facilities, and many have not managed to escape the flames,” says the Catholic Priest.

“The situation is extremely serious,” he says, and points to the risk of the M23 forces advancing to South Kivu.

Fr. Oliveira points out that it is currently almost impossible to get emergency aid to the population.

“The airport is closed, the control tower was vandalized, and hardware was stolen. We suppose there might still be unexploded ordinance, so there will have to be a careful survey to see if they can reopen it, as it is the only way to get humanitarian aid into the city,” he says.

The Portuguese Comboni Priest stresses that “in the midst of this it is always the people who suffer, and the Church suffers with them, facing great difficulties, with people constantly having to run from their homes. Not even the refugee camps are safe.”