DRC-Goma : displaced people demand the relocation of the Bulengo site after the bombing

The Bulengo displaced persons site, one of the largest in the city of Goma in the North Kivu province, currently shelters more than 478,000 people. These displaced people come from several corners of the territory of Masisi and part of Rutshuru, passing through the town of Kitshanga in the Bishusha groupment, driven by repeated bombings. Strong fear is palpable because the site has already recorded more than 28 deaths and more than fifty injured since the start of the bombings perpetrated by armed groups, including the M23. Voices are beginning to be raised among the displaced persons to demand that the Congolese government and the UNHCR relocate this site to prevent the death toll from rising during possible future bombings.

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A displaced person from the Bulengo camp is worried.

“We are in total insecurity following the bombs. This puts us in danger because since this situation began in the city of Goma, the government has still not reacted to the attacks of the M23 rebellion supported by Rwanda. We fled the M23 that wanted us to stay with them in these conquered zones, but we said to ourselves that instead of staying with the rebels, it is better to die where the government can guarantee us security. But now we are killed and the government remains silent. We want to see this camp relocated to the city center perhaps,” insists Richard Gasore Bizwara.

Victims of bombings also continue to express their concern about the dangers they face if they remain in displaced persons’ sites.

Aline Kavira is a displaced person who lost her granddaughter in the bombings of May 3. For her, the most reassuring solution is to relocate this site.

“We’re not really safe anymore. Bombs come from Masisi, then fall on us and we go through the ordeal of the dead and wounded. I am mourning my daughter who was killed during these bombings and I am still unsafe in this camp. We are asking that this camp be relocated to another, more secure location,” she said.

Opposite opinion

Other Congolese simply demand the return of peace and not the relocation of the Bulengo camp

According to residents, the Congolese authorities bear some responsibility because they no longer launch attacks against the rebels who occupy a strategic area for the province of North Kivu.

“Relocating the camp is not a solution to the problem we are going through. We want to see the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) attack the positions of the M23 and not the adventure of relocating the camp,” said Mahoro Hitimana.

Two children in a corridor of an overcrowded camp in Goma

The Congolese authorities, for their part, believe that relocating the Bulengo camp could be a notable failure for them.

On the other hand, the National Refugee Commission (CNR) thinks that it is time to launch attacks against the rebels to allow a return to lasting peace and then the hope of internally displaced people returning to their respective villages.

“Our wish is not to keep the displaced in the camps, no and no. But perhaps ask the military authorities to increase large-scale offensives to put an end to this adventure of Paul Kagame who operates in the DRC under the cover of the M23,” adds Christian Kalamo, senior communication officer of the CNR in the province of North Kivu.

Since the resumption of M23 attacks against the Congolese army, the city of Goma of more than 8 million inhabitants has been the target of bombs coming from entities where clashes are taking place, especially in the territory of Masisi.

According to the provincial government of North Kivu, more than 14 bombs were dropped on the city of Goma by the M23, already killing 28 people and injuring more than fifty people.

The neighborhoods of Mugunga (located in the district of Karisimbi), and Lac Vert (district of Goma) have been the targets of these bombings since December 2023.

The M23 is a former Tutsi rebellion which took up arms again at the end of 2021, accusing the Congolese government of not having respected its commitments on the reintegration of its fighters. Since mid-June 2022, the rebels have recovered several regions of North Kivu including Bunagana, the border city with Uganda which has become their headquarters.

Congolese authorities remain convinced that the rebellion benefits from support from neighbouring Rwanda, which has soured relations between the two sister nations of Africa’s Great Lakes. Rwanda has always brushed aside these allegations and demanded respect for the rights of Rwandan-speaking communities in Congo, threatened by a probable genocide, according to Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

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A displaced woman from Goma in front of her tarpaulin house