Evacuate Goma, DRC?

7/28/2012 01:52:00 PM sendtheroths 3 Comments

I woke up this morning with recipes in my head, planning for an expatriate Bible study that we are hosting in our house on Sunday. All that stopped when we got a phone call from our expatriate friends saying they are leaving the country.

FARDC (Congolese national army) on a patrol in Goma by a key roundabout

The US embassy recently sent a message to citizens of the USA advising them to evacuate the city of Goma, DRC. This is the city that we live in.

The rebel group, called M23 has been making advances toward Goma for the past two months, overtaking key cities on the map of North Kivu, DRC. I was awakened last night by a fleet of United Nations helicopter gunships fluttering past the house. Andrew went on the balcony to see what was going on. I closed my eyes and prayed.

“Lord, protect this city. Protect these people.”

Behind the noise of the helicopters, we heard people wailing and the sound of a traditional Congolese drum beating. The nearby church was having an all night prayer meeting. The sound of desperate people petitioning to God in the midst of attack helicopters is yet another memory that will stick with me for life.

We listened to the wailing until we fell asleep. In Congo, there is no noise curfew. Their wails were comforting to me: a sign that God is in this place.

Undercover photography behind the safety of tinted glass

We heard this morning that the helicopters spotted M23 soldiers ten kilometers outside of the Goma, that’s what all the fuss was about last night. We later heard that this information is unconfirmed and that M23 is actually forty kilometers away. This is according to UN security.

Rumors are flying around Goma like boomerangs. People are saying that M23 is actually in the city somewhere, hiding.

Many aid workers have left the country. Many of our friends, who we were expecting to host tomorrow for Bible study are either gone or leaving tonight.

We consulted with one of our GOF-C board members, German Kahunde, about whether or not to leave. He is a Congolese United Nations Security Officer. He advised that we should stay. This was a confirmation to what we already had in our hearts.


We got a message from another Congolese friend, McCarthy two days ago asking for prayers because he is stuck in one village which has been overtaken by rebels. We also received a call from Paul Buyana, another GOF-C board member who lives in Goma that a bomb went off in his sub-division, injuring two people. I guess the UN made a boo-boo when firing a bomb.

Crazy? I know.
 
We are staying in Congo. But I’m not sure if it’ll be necessary to make that artichoke dip for the get-together tomorrow…