Congo-Kinshasa: Bishop of Goma – ‘The Ceasefire Is Holding, but People Are Afraid. Hospitals and Refugees Are the Most Worrying Situations’

Kinshasa — “The city is calm, but people are still afraid to leave their homes because security is not fully guaranteed,” reports Willy Ngumbi Ngengele, Bishop of Goma, speaking to Fides from the capital of the Congolese province of North Kivu, which was taken over by the rebel movement M23 on January 27 (see Fides, 27/1/2025).

“Schools are still largely closed, also because many school buildings were damaged or destroyed in the fighting,” reports Msgr. Ngengele. “The worst situation is in the hospitals, which are receiving a large number of wounded and are in difficulty due to the lack of medicines and equipment.” “Internet connections are still difficult, people have to make do with makeshift solutions to stay connected with the outside world,” continues the bishop. About a million internally displaced people from rural areas in North Kivu province, which were first affected by the fighting, live in Goma. Their situation is currently uncertain because, as Bishop Ngengele reports, “the refugee camps have been closed and those among the displaced who still have a home are returning to their home village. Those who cannot remain in precarious conditions in Goma.”

Yesterday, February 3, the M23 declared a ceasefire “for humanitarian reasons” which came into force today. “For the moment, the ceasefire is holding, but people are still afraid to venture out because they do not feel completely safe,” says the bishop. In an effort to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, a delegation from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Congo (CENCO) was received yesterday in Kinshasa by President Félix Tshisekedi.

During the talks, the Head of State was presented with a reconciliation plan drawn up by CENCO together with the “Église du Christ au Congo” (ECC).

“The two churches have taken the initiative to develop this project to get out of the crisis. We presented it today to the Head of State, who received it with great attention; he appreciated it very much and encouraged us. It is a praiseworthy project,” said Msgr. Donatien Nshole, spokesman for CENCO, at the end of the audience that lasted more than an hour.

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