Thousands Seek Refuge in Salesian Mission in Goma
(ANS – Goma, DRC – January 28, 2025) – On January 27,
the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was taken by the rebel
troops that had been surrounding it for months.
“Goma has been invaded by the rebels, and the
army has surrendered,” says one of the Salesian missionaries working at the
mission in Goma. “Today we are unable to leave, and there’s a lot of
uncertainty about what may happen in the next few hours,” he adds. “The
community is fine. We are without electricity and Wi-Fi. In addition, thousands
of people have come to take refuge in the mission,” he says. “The fighting is
intensifying on the outskirts of Goma [on the 27th],” the Salesian missionaries
report from Goma.
At the Don Bosco Ngangi mission in Goma, more
than 3,500 families were already being cared for in a refugee camp that was set
up in the football fields of the Salesian center a year ago. “There are more
than 30,000 people, mostly women and children. And these have been joined by
more than 2,000 people looking for a safe place in these uncertain times,” adds
the Salesian missionary. In Don Bosco Ngangi, more spaces had already been
prepared for the possible arrival of displaced people and “thousands of people
have entered and occupied spaces in the soccer fields and also inside the
building,” he explains.
The country has already suffered more than 30
years of fighting involving more than 122 rebel groups fighting for control of
minerals. The DRC has 80% of the world’s reserves of coltan, which is necessary
for the batteries of electronic devices and electric cars. The population is
suffering a continuous humanitarian disaster that worsened at the end of 2022
and today leaves almost 7 million people displaced and more than 25.4 million
in need of aid to survive.
“Goma is closed. There are no schools, and
the shops aren’t open. Everyone’s waiting to see what might happen,” explain
the missionaries.
Among the many Salesian organizations and organizations
that support the Salesian mission in Goma is the Salesian Mission Office in
Madrid, which is committed to helping the Salesian missionaries so that they
can attend to the needs of the displaced and also so that children and youths
can continue with their education. “We have sent €170,000 to distribute food
among the most vulnerable, especially many mothers with children in their care.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country where more than 2.8 million
children suffer from acute malnutrition,” explains Luis Manuel Moral, director
of Misiones Salesianas.
Furthermore, with the support of Misiones
Salesianas, Salesians are attending to the Kanyaruchinya settlement for
displaced people, with more than 75,000 displaced persons.
More information at: www.misionessalesianas.org
Update from CRUX (1/29): The bishop of Goma deplores the fighting and the suffering of the more than 2,000,000 people trapped in the city.
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