Pope Francis expressed his sadness at the shameful attack on a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo and appealed to political leaders to work for peace and brotherhood.
Violence always hits the poor the hardest, Cardinal P. Parolin said with heartache, expressing his condolences on behalf of the Pope to the bishop of Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) for the dead and wounded during the attack on perhaps the largest refugee camp in the country.
At least sixteen people, mostly children, were killed on Friday, May 3, in an explosion or explosions in the Mugunga refugee camp in Goma. At least thirty-five people were injured in the attack, which a DRC government spokesman said was carried out by the M23 terrorist group and was particularly brutal.
Mission News Fides reports from Kinshasa that there were two attacks on the same day on May 3rd. in two refugee camps: Mugunga and Lav Verto. The vast majority of the victims are women and children, Fides notes, according to a communique issued by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), whose representatives are carrying out a military mission near the North Kiwi capital of Goma.
The Pope is saddened to learn of the disgraceful attack in the Mugunga refugee camp and assures his closeness to all those affected by this act of blind hatred, which did not cost the lives of many children.
Cardinal P. Parolin noted to Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele that the Pope is praying for the injured and the grieving families and asking God’s mercy for all the dead. Reiterating his condemnation of any act of violence as a way to resolve conflicts, a violence that always falls victim to the poorest, the Pope urged the people of the DR Congo not to lose hope. The Pope calls on the country’s political leaders to work resolutely in the service of peace and brotherhood, and prays for God’s comfort and blessings for everyone, P. Parolin added.
DR Congo Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa and one of the members of the Pope’s Council of Cardinals, warned in a message to Vatican Radio more than a year ago about the great danger of the division of DR Congo into small states. The cardinal pointedly mentioned the M23 group as one of the attackers of the country’s territorial integrity. According to Congolese human rights monitors, the M23 terrorists, a group linked to neighboring Rwanda, operate inside the DRC, are very dangerous, and are better armed than the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO. Countries supporting the aggression against DR Congo receive financial support from the EU. This is unacceptable because the worst crimes against humanity are committed every day. There are six to seven million internally displaced people in the country due to conflict. Many are starving. They need urgent humanitarian aid.
Bukavu Civil society coordination (RDC) in its published communiqué is surprised by the indifference of the international community in the face of the growing danger of the M23 group, although it has not been talked about since yesterday, notes the news portal of the Dicastery for Evangelization “Fides” on May 6. in the message. The aim of the M23 group is to “suffocate” the city of Goma by cutting off the food supply. This is the reason why ships are being bombed in Lake Kiva. The RDC asked the UN Security Council to order the International Criminal Court prosecutor to investigate crimes committed against civilians in the region and to embargo arms sales to Rwanda and Uganda, which are accused of supporting M23. (SAK / Vatican News)
Mugunga Refugee Camp in Goma, DR Congo
