Don’t forget Goma
Friday, November 14th, 2008 by melissaSo I’ve been perusing the paper NYTimes more often lately because I’m curious to see what makes it into print and what doesn’t. While there’s inches and inches dedicated to how much Obama’s personal life has changed now that he’s the president-elect (his barber has to come to him now) there is now no longer any mention of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I’ve been meaning to cross-post all of HEAL Africa’s updates here, but just have been swamped with travel, etc. I suppose it’s not too late to start. Here’s the latest update from Judy Anderson’s conversation with Joseph Ciza:
November 14, 2008.
I just spent time with Joseph Ciza on the phone. (He’s in Goma, I’m in Seattle). You haven’t heard from HEAL Africa for a few days. It doesn’t mean that things have “settled down” in Goma. The military action continues all around, people are increasingly unsettled, and troops from Angola and Zimbabwe are reportedly in Congo. This doesn’t bode well at all. Joseph said he’d heard from someone that military troops were heard in the dark, so they wait to hear what will happen in the morning.
I don’t want to inundate you with email. We are working to consolidate our databases so you won’t get four messages from us, but thank you for your patience with us! Thank you for your support; we need it!!!
Joseph has spent the past week and a half visiting with nurses, clinics, Nehemiah Committee members, IDPs, military and militia and rebel leaders, and with humanitarian organizations assessing the needs for their own organization to begin work in Goma, North Kivu, DR Congo.
It is deeply personal work for him. For the past many years he has been involved in providing training and equipment to rural health clinics in North Kivu. He has been a tireless advocate and encourager; he has visited every military group that operates in North Kivu. In the past week he has visited looted clinics, visited community leaders in hiding, in IDP camps. They cannot go home. The future is very uncertain, especially with foreign troops coming in from various countries.
He has picked up wounded and brought them to the hospital for treatment. Today he was southwest of Goma, visiting the hospital at Kirotshe, and stopped at Bweremana. He was taken to see two women, and said “They were shot in the legs by FARDC soldiers as they were retreating from Goma toward Bukavu. The women were in a car coming from the market; the soldiers stopped them to commandeer the car. The women suffered severe injuries when they were shot in the legs by the soldiers.” The women are now at HEAL Africa’s hospital.
The number of wounded related to the present crisis today at the hospital is 127. This is in addition to the normal number of around 180 patients. He continued, ” 82% of the new cases are raped women. 45 women are victims of rape from Kibati refugee camp. 45 were raped in town. There are about 30,000 extra people in Goma town right now.” This is in addition to the IDP camp on the northern edge of town, Kibati. And does not include the camps to the west and southwest of town…Mugunga, Bulengo and others.
I asked him how he sees the future, “The best hope I see is that we get good leadership. I don’t see who can lead correctly. Both leaders (Kabila and Nkunda) were in the same military movement in 96-98″ (that displaced the Mobutu regime and installed Laurent Kabila as President, father of the present elected Joseph Kabila). “This is a very complicated, complex situation. We are condemned to live together. The challenge is how to live in peace and be reconciled, especially with all the violence that is happening on all sides now. That is the real work of HEAL Africa”.
When I asked him how we can support him, he mentioned:
- Financial support for HEAL Africa. “The people who are coming to the hospital are very vulnerable people. They cannot pay for the care they get; we cannot refuse to treat them.” www.healafrica.org .
- Pray for the people working in such conditions. Pray for Joseph and the various HEAL Africa teams.
- Pray for the ONE MILLION people in North Kivu who are displaced or lost, children and parents as well as the inhabitants of Goma. Many parents are affected. Joseph said, “FARDC soldiers came to rob my neighbor. They also took the daughter from the hands of the parents. They were unable to protect their daughter…you can understand how they feel. What if it happened to me?”
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Thank you for standing with our Congolese sisters and brothers.
Peace for Congo, peace to you.
Judy