THOUSANDS of people have fled their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo after Mount Nyiragongo erupted on Saturday May 22.
The eruption has killed at least 31 people, and forced 30,000 people to flee from the city of Goma in the North Kivu province.
At least 500 houses have been destroyed. The full extent of the damage is not yet known, but it is expected that there will be widespread electricity and water shortages as people return to their homes.
A further 92 earthquakes and tremors have been recorded in the past 24 hours around the Mount Nyiragongo volcano.
“We’re concerned not just about the destruction of houses, but also the vulnerable people, such as children and the elderly who were not unaccompanied as the evacuation was so fast,” Lulu Mitshabu, Caritas Australia’s Program Coordinator for Democratic Republic of Congo, said.
“Our partners in Goma are still assessing the needs on the ground, but we know that people will need support for clean water, temporary shelters, medical support and food distributions. We’ll also need to support those who have lost their homes.”
The volcano, which is located 10km from Goma, killed 250 people and left 120,000 homeless when it last erupted in 2002.
Photo: UNICEF
“This eruption has led to mass displacement for a region that is still reeling from two Ebola outbreaks, ongoing impacts from COVID-19 and many years of conflict,” Ms Mitshabu said. “There is already food insecurity, and over five million people are currently displaced from previous disasters and conflict. This latest eruption is yet another challenge for the people of the DRC, and we will need support to make sure that we can reach those in need.”
Aid to the Church in Need International, said the situation Goma was alarming.
“After the first eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday night, the situation seemed to have calmed down, but strong earth movements and the risk of a new eruption are forcing the population to evacuate the city, which has an estimated two million inhabitants,” the leadership of ACN said in a report.
In the report, Fr Arsene Masumbuko, the rector of St John Paul II Seminary in Buhimba in Goma Diocese said that people were now forced to decide between the danger they faced with the ongoing tremors and possible assaults by armed groups.
“I ask for prayers for the population of Goma and for our seminarians. We still don’t know if we will have to evacuate the seminary,” Fr Masumbuko said.
“The serious danger is that there could be an explosion in the lake, where there is gas, that would endanger everything in an area of 20 kilometres. That is why we are waiting to receive more information and to be able to make a decision.”
UNICEF has warned that as many as 400,000 people – including 280,000 children – could be displaced and in need of protection or support.
