Residents of Rubavu hope that the “DR Congo chaos ends soon”

People in Rubavu town are still upset after some of their neighbors were killed by bombs from DR Congo on Monday, January 27. However, many of them are hopeful that the unrest in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in DR Congo, will be over soon.

This follows the AFC/M23 rebels announcing on Monday that they took control of Goma. However, there were still occasional gunshots and explosions in the city, with some bombs landing in nearby Rubavu.

Albert Mutsinzi, who owns a goods shop in Rubavu, told The New Times that he spent most of the day at home but chose to go out in the afternoon to see what was happening outside and check on his neighbors.

Even though there are occasional gunshots heard from Goma, Mutsinzi believes that business in Rubavu will completely return to normal “in the next few days.”

He mentioned that the situation at the border has been a worry recently.

It’s upsetting that we lost people here, and I was worried something like this would happen. This will soon change, especially since M23 fighters have taken control of Goma. “This will also end, and we will continue with our lives.”

Schools and shops in Rubavu town stopped for a while, and students in the city were sent home due to heavy fighting happening across the border in Goma.

About five kilometers from Mutsinzi’s home, the roads on the edges were busy.

On the edges of the city, Vestine Mukarukundo, a mother of two, was roasting and selling corn by the roadside in a busy part of Kaniga Village, in Rugerero Sector.

She said, “We’re still scared for our lives, but it helps to see that many other people are here too.” We hope this situation will come to an end so we can return to our normal lives completely.

Mukarukundo’s friend, Chantal Uwineza, 35, moved to the edges for the night but was already planned to go back to her home in the city.

Uwineza said, “I believe this insecurity won’t last long.” I actually want to return home tomorrow [Tuesday] morning.

I’m confident that schools will open again before the week is over. This will happen. It’s sad that we lost some people, but this situation won’t last forever. This is what happens when your friends are as wild as those in Congo.

The conflict between the government alliance and the M23 has been happening since 2021. The government army alliance consists of the FDLR militia, which is responsible for genocide, 10,000 soldiers from Burundi, 1,600 European mercenaries, and forces from SADC led by South Africa. The war worsened last week when the rebels took new land, killed North Kivu’s Military Governor Peter Cirimwami, and threatened to advance on Goma.

The government coalition has faced more setbacks, including the deaths of the FDLR leader, ‘Maj Gen’ Pacifique Ntawunguka, known as Omega, as well as soldiers from the South Africa-led SADC mission and the UN mission.

On Sunday, the Rwandan government shared its worries about comments made by different groups regarding the security situation in eastern DR Congo.