Goma, the provincial capital, has borne the brunt of conflict for decades.
Rachel Sematumba, born in Goma during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, embodies this harsh reality. “War is all I’ve known,” she says, fearing history repeats with the ongoing M23 rebellion.
Goma, once a small town of 300,000, was flooded with nearly a million Rwandan refugees in the summer of 1994. The influx created a humanitarian crisis, with cholera epidemics claiming countless lives. Rachel’s father, Onesphore, a teacher in Rwanda at the time, fled the violence and lost his livelihood.
Onesphore paints a grim picture of mass graves overflowing with victims of the genocide and cholera. Refugee camps became sprawling shantytowns, where desperation and violence thrived. He recalls seeing armed incursions by some Hutu refugees, fueling tensions in Goma.
The presence of Hutu extremists in North Kivu has been used by Rwanda as justification for military intervention, either directly or through rebel groups like the M23. Since 1996, a cycle of wars and conflicts has plagued the region.
The M23, a predominantly Tutsi rebel group backed by Rwanda, currently controls swathes of North Kivu and threatens Goma. This reignites historical anxieties, highlighting the enduring impact of the Rwandan genocide on regional stability.
Rachel, despite witnessing violence throughout her life, refuses to surrender. She pursued an education in diplomacy and international security, aiming to become a voice for her war-torn country.
However, hope remains fragile. Gunshots still interrupt the lives of Goma residents, replicating the trauma of Rachel’s childhood.
The M23 conflict has displaced over 1.5 million people, mirroring the refugee crisis of 1994. As Goma grapples with yet another exodus, the question lingers: when will the cycle of violence in the region finally end?
Thirty years after the Rwandan genocide, Rachel’s story reflects the enduring pain and the desperate hope for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
AFP abj/APA