After four and a half weeks of an evacuation to a tented camp on the outskirts of Goma, our ranger families were finally able to come home to Rumangabo today. Many had not seen their husbands and fathers for over a month.
The decision was made for a variety of reasons with the most important being the relative stability that has settled over the area. The cost of running the camp was quite expensive, and although care was taken to make them as comfortable as possible, there’s no comparison to living in a make-shift tent versus being in your own house. They were all ready to come home.
I asked one of the women, Twizere, how she felt about coming back. She said, “I’m really feeling good that we are back home, all in one piece and healthy. We really want to thank everyone who helped us. We are so happy that we will not be called refugees anymore.” Twizere had not seen her husband for the entire time she was in the Goma camp.
One nice surprise for the families will be the new water project that was completed in their absence. This project has brought spring water right to where they live.
Karibu. Welcome home.
Last Wednesday this mother gave birth in the Goma camp around 3 am with the help of our Virunga doctor, Samuel.
Everyone pitched in to help unload the trucks of both people and possessions.
One of the rangers met his wife and two children at the trucks as they arrived. He had not seen them in over a month.
Ranger Wenceslaus with his two children
A great outcome. Once again it would seem the rangers are the people who are doing things right in the Congo. An interesting comment from Emmanuel I think in response to me.
" Indeed, there are almost 20,000 UN troops here, costing taxpayers about $5m a day. The idea of bringing in a second peace making force under the African Union to offset the fact that the UN force has failed to stem the current conflict seems to fly in the face of all logic. It’s a natural reaction in any big bureaucracy to try to fix things by by-passing the problem and creating a parallel force instead of tackling the root of the problem within the UN mission."
That is very telling.
" Indeed, there are almost 20,000 UN troops here, costing taxpayers about $5m a day. The idea of bringing in a second peace making force under the African Union to offset the fact that the UN force has failed to stem the current conflict seems to fly in the face of all logic. It’s a natural reaction in any big bureaucracy to try to fix things by by-passing the problem and creating a parallel force instead of tackling the root of the problem within the UN mission."
That is very telling.
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