Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the city of Goma and nearby towns in eastern Congo fearing another volcanic eruption by Mount Nyiragongo, which spewed lava near the city last week.
A new eruption could occur at any moment, the military governor of Congo’s North Kivu province, Lt. Gen. Constant Ndima Kongba, announced.
Crowds left the city carrying just a few belongings with them to seek shelter in Sake, Rutshuru and other places including neighbouring country, Rwanda.
The crisis caused by the volcano is not the only one in DR Congo, a country hit by violence among rebel groups and armed forces that every year takes the lives of hundreds of Congolese and leaves millions displaced.
Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says the number of people who were displaced by the volcano eruption was around six thousand people (by Wednesday). That’s the number of people displaced every single day over the last 12 months because of armed conflict. And they get no attention. He spoke during his visit to Goma to release the organization’s annual report about what it calls the world’s most neglected crisis.
According to the NRC, in 2020 the Democratic Republic of Congo was on the top of the list of the most neglected countries suffering from a displacement crisis.
The NRC said it was due to overwhelming needs and an acute lack of funding, as well as media and diplomatic inattention, worsened by the pandemic.
