Throughout the past few weeks we have been in regular contact with our ministry partners on the ground in Goma. Please find below an update from our Head of International Partnerships, Tara Carr, on the current situation, the days of the battle, some reflections, prayer points and how we can support the people of Goma.
The Current Situation
The current situation is that the M23 rebel army has taken control of the city of Goma. Life in the city is very unpredictable and unsafe. There are still reports of gunfire across the city every day. While there is some electricity and water available in some parts of the city it is intermittent and unreliable at best. The price of food staples has risen by almost 70%. The banks have yet to reopen and people have not been able to access their money (we are incredibly grateful that our partners have access to a bank account across the border in Rwanda).
The background of the conflict is complicated, there are different ethnic groups involved, there is a lot of politics involved. But there is also the fact that eastern DRC is home to a lot of precious minerals including minerals like coltan and tantalum. That are found in most modern-day electronics and there is a huge international demand for these minerals.
The Days of the Attack
After the dust settled, the stories have started to come out about what happened in the days following January 23rd as the M23 took over the city of Goma.
The outskirts of Goma have been home to displacement camps filled with thousands of people who have fled from fighting in the countryside. We support a school in one of these camps. The camps were the first to be hit as the soldiers came through. A report from the UNHCR has said that the armed forces used heavy weapons, long range projectiles and bombs in densely populated areas (including camps, homes and health centres) causing maximum harm to civilians. To escape, people mostly fled further into Goma. Â
There were close to 3,000 people killed in the first wave of fighting that came through the city. Our friends from our partner organisations sheltered at home, often hiding under their beds as gunfire moved through their neighbourhoods and down the streets outside their homes. The water and electricity were cut off, desperate people were looting shops, and the food stores of humanitarian agencies. The World Food Program has reported that 70% of their food stock has been looted.
A hospital we support in Goma was overrun with casualties. They have around 250 beds and were receiving around 600 casualties with additional other people flocking in to shelter in the compound. This was also happening at hospitals across the city.
They dug out old mattresses and put them in the corridors. Doctors and nurses were operating around the clock. There were regular outbursts of gunfire just outside the hospital windows. At one point they sent out two ambulances to bring back some doctors and nurses to relieve the exhausted staff who had had no rest. The ambulances were fired upon. One of the ambulances crashed into a power pole, the other one had its tires shot out. One of the drivers was shot in the back and in the leg but they managed to escape by driving away on flat tires. The injured driver is now recovering but has been severely traumatised by what he experienced.
At a centre for the deaf that we support, a bomb was dropped on the compound (which houses the school, medical centre, church etc.) and detonated in the church. The compound was then looted. One security guard stayed at his post despite having no food and little water for three days. Please pray for this security guard as he deals with the trauma of those three days.
During the fighting, the city jail was damaged and inmates escaped, committing some horrendous acts in the women’s prison as they did so. These men were also able to pick up guns that were left by soldiers fleeing the city.
There have been reports that soldiers have said they will not round up prisoners but will have a shoot-on-site approach to anyone deemed to be doing the wrong thing. There are reports that children playing with soldiers’ uniforms were shot on site in the city of Bukavu. There are reports that young men are being stopped in the street and being told to join the army and being shot if they refuse.
There are gunshots heard every night and people in the city are terrified.
The city was full of hundreds of thousands of people who had fled there to escape fighting in the rural areas across the region. Some of these people had been in Goma for weeks or months, others had been there for years living in displaced peoples’ camps under very hard conditions. These people have now been told that the war is over and they should return home. Some people in the camps have been told they have 72 hours to return to their villages. But people are scared and do not know what they will find when they return home. A lot of their villages have been destroyed, crops have not been planted and there is very little food and water. There is also very little access to healthcare and it is harder for humanitarian agencies to reach people when they are spread out over vast remote areas.
A Reflection
While listening to these stories I have been filled with an overwhelming sadness but also anger. Anger that this could happen in the first place. Anger at international governments and organisations who seem to have done little to stop this or respond to it, anger at the Australian media who have barely mentioned it, even anger at my laptop and phone that contain the minerals that have caused this fighting.
Sadness and anger are fine – there are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who expressing their outrage over injustice and God meeting those people where they are. But they are also not very helpful. I am reminded of a quote by James Orbinski, a humanitarian surgeon who worked in the Rwandan genocide “How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the suffering of others?”
The real question is how can we shine God’s love, compassion and hope into this situation?
I have been so encouraged by all the supporters who have called, emailed and written into the office over the last few weeks. It is such a comfort to know that even though this tragedy is not being covered in mainstream news media there is a community of people out there that do care and want to help. I am grateful that when I talk to our partners, I can tell them that their brothers and sisters in Australia have not forgotten them and are praying for them.
What can we be praying for?
To be honest, I often get my spiritual inspiration and encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Goma. They have such a strong and vibrant faith that can’t help but encourage and inspire despite all the challenges they routinely face.
But recently when I have heard from them, I have gotten the feeling that while they are holding on in faith, they are also feeling really broken by what has happened. It feels like it is our turn to inspire them and to hold them up in prayer.
One verse has stood out to me over the last few weeks – Psalm 18. It is a hard psalm, but I love the way it starts:
“I love you Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my saviour;
My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
I called to the Lord, who is worth of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”
- Pray that our brothers and sisters in Goma would feel the presence of God as their protector and fortress at this time.
- Pray that God would be healing them of the trauma they are dealing with, that he would keep them safe and provide for them.
- If you sponsor a child in Goma, please pray for them and their family.
- Please pray for the deaf community in Goma. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be to be in a warzone and not be able to hear which direction the bullets are coming from.
- Pray that reliable electricity and water would be restored to the city and that banks would open so people can access their money.
- Pray for the families who have moved back to their villages with very little food and water, pray that God would provide for them.
- Pray for protection and safety for the children who live on the street and do not have safe spaces they can go to.
How can we help (practically)?
Every time I have talked with the hospital that we support, they have stressed how urgently they need fuel for their generators. Electricity across the city is still intermittent. Intermittent electricity does not keep a hospital running and they are reliant on their generators to keep people alive. So, as a first response we are providing funding for them to buy fuel for the generators. We will keep talking with them as the situation evolves to see what other areas we can support them in.
Our other partner in Goma runs a centre for the deaf community. They have asked for funding for food packs for the poorest members of their community who have not been able to access food. They also need funds to rebuild their church which was bombed during the violence.
Another way to help is to share these stories with people you know. This suggestion came from one of the doctors in Goma, he said to me: “One way to help is to spread the knowledge of what is happening here”. The news might not be reporting on it much but we can raise awareness and show the people in Goma that they matter by telling others and showing that they’re not forgotten.
In the face of all this devastation we’ve launched an emergency appeal to support our ministry partners with fuel for generators to keep the hospital running, food for the most vulnerable amongst the deaf community, and whatever support they need to keep shining God’s love, compassion and hope into this situation. If you’re able, please give generously to the people of Goma at this time of incredible and urgent need.