In eastern DRC, Goma more isolated than ever

The distant explosion plunged into silence the commercial district of Birere near the airport of Goma, one of the main cities in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

In eastern DRC, Goma more isolated than ever

The distant explosion plunged into silence the commercial district of Birere near the airport of Goma, one of the main cities in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the shops, wholesalers and customers look at each other without understanding. Breaking the silence, a vegetable seller ends up shouting aloud what the others quietly fear: "It's the M23 rebels!" »

In the street, passers-by took out their phones to film. We wait, but nothing happens. No sound of boots, no bomb, no smoke. Timidly, business is picking up. The March 23 Movement (M23) insurgents are still far from the regional capital, even though they have been operating for several weeks in the Saké region.

It is in this area, about thirty kilometers from Goma, that the Burundian soldiers present in the DRC should soon be deployed as part of the force of the East African Community (EAC, according to the acronyms in English ) in an attempt to stem the advance of insurgents and the actions of armed groups. Burundian troops join a Kenyan army contingent of around a thousand men deployed in and around Goma since November 2022. South Sudanese and Ugandan forces are also expected on Congolese soil to complete the system. military set up by the EAC.

Prices have skyrocketed

The M23 rebels have pledged to cease hostilities as of Tuesday, March 7. A promise made in Luanda to the African Union mediator, Angolan President Joao Lourenço. But, for the people of Goma, the multiple announcements of withdrawal and the promised ceasefire do not change anything. Since the capture of Mushaki on February 23, the last axis that supplied the regional capital is currently controlled by the insurgents. Just like the other two main roads of the province.

Since the intensification of fighting in the spring of 2022, the M23 has administered entire swathes of North Kivu and the agricultural lands of the region – the territories of Rutshuru and Masisi – are difficult to access. At the Virunga market in Goma, fruits and vegetables, milk and meat are now arriving in dribs and drabs. And the prices reflect it. “Before the war, a bundle of beans sold for 2,000 Congolese francs [a little less than one euro]. Today, it is 3,200 Congolese francs [around 1.50 euros],” explains a market gardener behind her stall.

Everywhere, prices have skyrocketed and "customers come less than before," says a tuber seller. We used to sell a big bag of potatoes a day. Today, it takes at least four days for the bag to end." "Charcoal went from 25,000 Congolese francs [about 11 euros] to 80,000 Congolese francs [just over 35 euros]," adds another merchant. This usually cheap fuel is needed for cooking in a province where only 3.1% of the population has access to electricity.

"Anti-Rwandan" slogans

The security situation is not only disrupting local supplies, it is also blocking imports of manufactured products. “Part of the border areas with Uganda have been taken over by the M23. The only accessible gateway that we have left with the outside is the one that connects the DRC and Rwanda", deplores Jackson Kitambala of the Laïc Consultation Committee (CLC), an association close to the National Episcopal Conference. du Congo (Cenco), a religious body with broad political influence.

Despite the worsening diplomatic and political crisis between Kinshasa and Kigali, the passage of goods has never been interrupted between the twin border towns of Goma and Gisenyi. However, relations between the two neighboring states continue to worsen. Kinshasa indeed accuses Kigali of "attacking" the DRC and sending its army to fight alongside the M23 rebels. Several reports by the United Nations Group of Experts and the Kivu Security Barometer confirm, with supporting evidence, the direct involvement of Rwanda in the conflict. But Kigali refutes these accusations.

In Goma, "anti-Rwandan" slogans are regularly chanted in processions and angry movements are increasing despite the ban on public gatherings decided by the military authorities, who have been administering the city since the establishment of the state of siege. May 6, 2021. In early February, incidents on the sidelines of protests led to the death of at least eight people, according to the Congolese army's report. During the "dead city" day organized by several citizens' movements on February 6, shops and at least one church were looted. A United Nations Peacekeeping Mission (Monusco) truck was also attacked the following day. Actions in which the inaction of international forces - namely blue helmets and African troops - was denounced in the face of Rwandan "aggression" and the crisis linked to M23.

The lack of assistance is glaring

“Popular anger is deep because the crisis is multifaceted: economic, social and even health! Cholera has developed in the camps for displaced people on the outskirts of Goma,” analyzes Placide Nzilamba, secretary of civil society in North Kivu, a citizen structure that brings together several associations.

In the locality of Kanyaruchinya, the makeshift shelters are a little more numerous every day. Other informal camps have also opened in recent weeks, notably in Bulengo, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Goma, where the lack of assistance is glaring. According to OCHA, the UN humanitarian coordination office in the DRC, there were at least 602,000 displaced people on January 31 in the province of North Kivu.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think of my pigs that I left at home. I lost everything,” regrets a breeder from Kibumba, an area partly occupied by the M23, in front of the plastic tarpaulins of the Kanyaruchinya camp which serve as shelters for him. Like him, many farmers no longer have access to their fields and no longer have any income. “The likelihood of these populations participating in the next agricultural season is low,” wrote the US Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) institute supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in its January report. The food crisis could thus worsen and affect the neighboring provinces, in particular South Kivu, traditionally fed by North Kivu.