As a fragile ceasefire holds in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), residents of Goma are urgently racing to bury around 2,000 victims of last week’s brutal battles. The fighting, primarily between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and government forces, has left the city devastated, with the dead requiring immediate burial to prevent the spread of disease.
The M23 rebels, who captured Goma, declared a ceasefire on Monday, and although the truce has largely been upheld, sporadic shooting and looting were reported on Tuesday by some residents. With the ceasefire in place, Goma’s overwhelmed population is trying to cope with the aftermath of days of intense fighting. The city’s morgues are overflowing, and officials report that more than 2,000 bodies of people killed in the conflict need to be buried.
According to the United Nations, at least 900 people were killed, and nearly 3,000 were injured during the fighting. The scale of civilian casualties is still coming to light, with reports of people caught in the crossfire, overwhelmed hospitals, and bodies left in the streets.
Residents of Goma are also grappling with the emotional toll. Julienne Zaina Barabara, a local resident from the Katoyi neighborhood, shared her personal tragedy. One of her children was killed in the conflict, while two others were injured by shrapnel when an explosive hit near their home. “We took them all to the hospital, where one of them died after three hours. The other two are still receiving treatment,” she said, visibly shaken.
The aftermath of the battle has caused widespread logistical challenges, especially with morgues struggling to cope without power. “Days without power last week affected refrigeration at morgues, leading to a race against time to identify bodies,” said Myriam Favier, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross sub-delegation in Goma. She added that the land available for burial in Goma is extremely limited, complicating efforts to address the overwhelming number of casualties.
As the situation continues to unfold, the people of Goma remain in a desperate struggle to manage the humanitarian crisis, with both the living and the dead suffering from the aftermath of a violent conflict that has torn the city apart.
, residents of Goma are urgently racing to bury around 2,000 victims of last week’s brutal battles.){kind=link}