DR Congo: Catholic faithful pray for peace in country’s east

Catholics faithful in the Democratic Republic of Congo are offering prayers for peace in the eastern part of the country, which has borne the brunt of a deadly insurgency. About 6 million civilians have lost their lives over the past 30 years in an unending cycle of violence at the hands of rebel and terrorist groups. In response to this civil unrest, every Mass in the Central African country will conclude with a prayer for peace, as of Sunday, February 18, 2024.

This initiative is spearheaded by the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo, and showcases the Catholic Bishops’ commitment to peace.

On Saturday, February 24, 2024, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the Archbishop of Kinshasa, will be celebrating Mass in the capital city’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Congo, to pray for “peace and tranquility” in the Great Lakes region. During the Mass, the Cardinal will reportedly pray that God might comfort all Congolese who have become “victims of atrocities” and have been “tormented for several decades by insecurity that has claimed millions of lives.

The area around Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, in DR Congo has seen a deadly spike in conflict between armed groups, including the March 23 Movement (M23). Goma is near the border with Rwanda, and high volumes of trade cross the frontier through the Rwandan city of Gisenyi.

DR Congo accuses the Rwandan government of supporting the M23 rebel group, though Rwanda has not responded to the allegations.

“Following the M23 war, the city of Goma has become excessively militarized, with the presence of armed groups known as ‘wazalendo’,” the city’s Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele said. “This makes Goma a powder keg that could explode into a civil war at any moment, if we are not careful.”

Goma also hosts around 850,000 people displaced due to years of conflict. Over the past two years, many have sought refuge in seven camps set up by around the city by the Congolese government

Bishop Ngumbi said the internally displaced person have become “hostages of the M23 war, whose support by Rwanda is documented by several NGO reports and other United Nations agencies.”

As the city enters Lent, the Prelate said Goma has been “completely suffocated since the M23 troops advanced into the city of Sake, 30 km west of Goma.” Now, “there is a real risk that famine will break out in Goma and that people start to die from lack of food“, he warned

The Bishop also noted that M23 could close all supply routes, saying the move would leave people to die of hunger. “We watch helplessly,” Bishop Ngumbi said, “as a humanitarian disaster unfolds.”