DRC: Thousands killed and refugee camps attacked

Fighting in the eastern Congo is ongoing, and armed rebels have seized a major city, killing more than 2,000 people and wounding thousands more.

Local Comboni missionary Father Marcelo Oliveira told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu Province is increasingly desperate, with hospitals “crowded” and refugee camps under attack.

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has captured the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and has been advancing south, according to reports.

Millions of people have been internally displaced because of the ongoing war.

Father Oliveira said it is very difficult to distribute emergency aid to the population because “the airport is closed, the control tower was vandalised, hardware was stolen.

“We suppose there might still be unexploded ordnance, 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 added that a number of prisoners escaped the men’s wing of Goma’s central prison amid the fighting and attacked the women’s wing, raping more than a hundred inmates.

He stressed: “Many women and children have been killed.

“In the midst of the confusion, some prisoners have also set fire to the facilities, and many have not managed to escape the flames”.

The missionary said: “The Church continues to be with the people, like the Good Shepherd who accompanies his flock and does not leave them to the wolves.

“So, our presence continues, with the people, trying to be a sign of hope in the midst of the anguish and the pain.”

He concluded: “We keep our eyes set on Jesus, leading his people…

“We are in a Jubilee Year, we are pilgrims of hope, and the Church continues to be that sign of hope”.

With thanks to Paulo Aido