By Bob Allen
Baptists in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo appealed to the global Baptist community for help in responding to a humanitarian catastrophe caused by fighting between government and rebel forces in the central African nation since April.
Rebel forces captured Goma Nov. 20 after a five-day advance, ending an unofficial three-month ceasefire. The rebel group M23, formed by mutineers who formerly belonged to a Tutsi rebel group integrated into the regular army in 2009, previously sought talks with DRC President Joseph Kabila but now plan to “liberate” the country by marching nearly 1,000 miles on the capital city of Kinshasa.
In Goma, a city of about 1 million on the northern shore of Lake Kivu bordering Rwanda, few civilians ventured outside of their homes. The rebels have been blamed for hundreds of deaths over the last seven months.
Mike Musafiri, director of development and relief ministry for the Community of Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo, told the Baptist World Alliance that intense fighting prevented people from attending church on Sunday, Nov. 18.
“It was not possible to reach the church due to the bombs and gunshots between the rebels and the regular army,” Musafiri said. Fighting remained intense through Tuesday morning, but by the afternoon Musafiri described the town as “very quiet, no gunshots, no bombs.”
Goma has been sheltering tens of thousands of an estimated 650,000 people who have fled their homes in eastern Congo since the M23 rebellion began.
Pascal Ndihokubwimana, aid and development director for the Union of Baptist Churches in Congo, told BWA the Kanyaruchinya IDP camp, which housed some 16,000 displaced families, was emptied as its residents were told to leave.
A number of Baptist churches served as shelters for residents and internally displaced persons. One, Hekima Baptist Church, housed as many as 150 persons, far more than the church compound and sanitary conditions are designed to accommodate.
A number of Baptist families welcomed displaced persons into their homes. Musafiri is housing two such families.
The DRC, the second biggest country in Africa by area, has the second-largest Baptist membership on the continent, with more than 2.1 million members in 15 BWA member organizations.
The former Belgian colony known as Zaire is rich in minerals — including coltan, a metallic ore used in mobile phones and computers — but one of the world’s least-developed countries. International observers have accused Rwanda and Uganda, rivals that have fought Congo by proxy since the 1990s, of backing the rebels, charges that both governments deny.
Rebel forces have been accused of violations of international law, including rape and the use of child soldiers. The United Nations Security Council demanded that M23 immediately withdraw from Goma and called for sanctions against rebel leaders and those providing outside support.
The U.S. State Department denounced the M23 offensive and described recent events as “a very dangerous, very worrying, very concerning situation.”
The rebels took Goma with little resistance, despite the presence of 1,500 “quick reaction” U.N. peacekeepers backing government troops. The U.N. defended its peacemakers after Goma fell, saying a battle for the city would have put civilians at risk.
The BWA is accepting donations online or by mail to Baptist World Aid, 405 North Washington Street, Falls Church, VA 22046.