DR Congo: Hundreds displaced by fighting protest in Goma

Hundreds of those displaced by conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo marched through Goma on Monday, demanding aid and improved conditions at camps in Rutshuru territory. This demonstration brought socio-economic activities on the road known as 1 Km to a halt with protesters barricading it.

Several displaced people living in the Kanyaruchinya site in Nyiragongo territory, North Kivu, demonstrated on Monday in the city of Goma. They demanded food.

“We are in the street today because of the lack of food. Some people have benefited from the food given by the government, but we have not had any. And our children are dying of hunger every day, that’s why we decided to demonstrate today and go to the governor’s office to send our request,” Ndayambaje, one of the displaced living in Kanyaruchinya explained.

What we want is to go back home,” said another displaced person. “We used to be farmers and stockbreeders, but here we have no activity, so we spend days doing nothing.

Since June 2022, thousands of people have moved north to the city of Goma, fleeing clashes between the loyalist army and the M23/RDF rebels in Rutshuru territory. For the time being, other civilians continue to reach the city from the western side, from Masisi territory.

The predominantly Tutsi M23 rebellion, which had been dormant for nearly a decade, resumed fighting in late 2021. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting it, which has been corroborated by UN experts, although Kigali denies it.

On Saturday, during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, French President Emmanuel Macron said a cease-fire was expected to take place on Tuesday and suggested that if commitments were not met, sanctions could be imposed, including against Rwanda.