Pope highlights St. Joseph's trust in God, prays for DR CongoThe Pope travels to DR Congo and South Sudan. "Mbote François"Welcome, now you are welcomeThe armed group M23, supported by Rwanda, has forced the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, making access to humanitarian aid difficult. The situation is particularly critical in the provinces of North and South Kivu, where fighting has left thousands dead and destroyed emergency shelters.
The spokeswoman for UNHCREujin Byun, and the UN's top aid official in the country, Bruno Lemarquis, have warned about the insecurity that is preventing aid from reaching those in need. The rebels are advancing towards Bukavu (South Kivu) after having taken Goma (North Kivu), while the destruction of health facilities and shelters worsens the situation.
WHO also highlights the impact of hostilities on the monkeypox response, especially in Goma. Unexploded ordnance and looting further complicate the safe return of displaced people, and critical infrastructure is being destroyed, hampering health care and increasing the risk of spreading infectious diseases such as cholera, malaria and monkeypox.
Internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is generating a movement of internally displaced persons to the west, Angola. The Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Pilgrims (CEPAMI) in Angola, Carla Luísa Frei Bamberg, stated that the Church is on alert in the border dioceses, especially in Uíge and Mbanza Congo, to receive the refugees with care and support. The Church is working in partnership with other organizations to ensure dignified conditions for the refugees, including housing, food and livelihood.
On February 15, 2025, in Bukavu, (South Kivu - Democratic Republic of Congo), a fire threatened to completely destroy the local prison during the looting caused by the withdrawal of the armed forces and militiamen of the M23. Despite the fact that some inmates started the fire, the chaplain of the prison and some nuns intervened quickly, preventing the building from being completely destroyed. The chapel was also looted, but the priest managed to save most of it. Following the looting, Bukavu is slowly returning to normalcy, with commercial activities resuming and hope that schools will open soon.
Looting
The Bishop of Uvira, Bishop Sébastien Joseph Muyengo Mulombe, was the victim of a robbery on February 20 along with two priests at the episcopal see of Uvira, in the region of South Kivu, DRC. Three soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed and dressed in uniform, burst into the compound, threatened the staff and the religious, forced them to the ground and stole money, telephones and other belongings. They then locked them up and threatened them with death before fleeing. This incident is part of a series of lootings in Uvira, where the national army is weakened by the advance of the M23 rebel group.
