The tragedy struck the war displaced camp located in the Lac Vert district, on the outskirts of Goma, the battered city of North Kivu. This Friday, May 3, will remain etched in memories, as violent explosions shook the fragile tranquility of the community, mourning nine lives and causing multiple injuries.
Events came to a head when a shell projectile devastated the place, leaving behind a terrible human toll. According to local testimonies, this attack was allegedly perpetrated by the M23 rebel group, which was experiencing clashes with the Congolese armed forces in the Sake region, more precisely in the territory of Masisi.
The head of the Lac Vert district, Dedesi Mitima, expressed with emotion the pain and horror of this sad event, stressing that the victims were mainly innocent women and children, cut down by the barbarity of this cowardly attack.
The images captured at the scene of the tragedy are unbearable, testifying to the indiscriminate violence which struck an area already weakened by conflicts. These repeated explosions, in Sake, Mugunga, Bulengo, highlight the human tragedy playing out among displaced populations, trapped in war and poverty.
After this unbearable tragedy, the anger of the displaced people rumbled. Faced with this immense pain, the army intervened to maintain order, trying to ease the despair that animates the battered community. The voices broken by the tears rise in a surge of solidarity, but also of indignation in the face of this unacceptable violence.
On this dark day, Goma mourns its lost children, innocent victims of a war they did not choose. The grief is immense, the wounds are deep, but hope remains. Because beyond the ruins and the tears, the resilience of the survivors persists, ready to get up, to rebuild, to defy the horror to build a better future.
Yvonne Kapinga, special correspondent for “Fatshimetrie”.