“The city of Goma, the capital of the DRC province of North Kivu, has survived,” the Congolese sitePolitico. Threatened by the destruction of the volcano Nyiragongo, which erupted early in the evening on Saturday, Goma was finally not reached by the lava flows. The molten magma stopped at the city gates and destroyed homes and fields in the Buhene built-up area.
“Patrick Muyaya, Minister of Communications and Government Spokesman, gave the preliminary assessment of the outbreak last night,” reports Fall info: at least 15 dead, 17 villages affected, 3 health structures and one primary school destroyed. Lots of loss of goods and looted goods. Patrick Muyaya also indicates that the government’s priority is to “reflect on strengthening prevention”. However, he continued, “urgent at the moment is to provide assistance to the population.”
The authorities’ negligence?
In fact, points Ledjelyin Guinea, “as the news of the volcanic eruption spread around the country, the peoples, who had not forgotten the tragedies of the previous eruptions, abandoned their homes to flee, especially in the direction of neighboring Rwanda. But there we deplore thousands of homeless people, including women and children living in an extreme emergency. “So” we limit ourselves to thanking the providence that wanted the outbreak to do no more harm, “Ledjely continues. But it should be noted the critical negligence shown by the Congolese authorities in general in dealing with these volcanic problems. Thus, if the Observatory of Volcanology in Goma could not predict the eruption last Saturday, it is because it no longer makes observations, for lack of funds. ”
The observatory was no longer observed
That’s true, he adds Africa, “The volcano was no longer monitored … in seven months. Due to lack of funds, the Volcanological Observatory found itself deprived of an internet connection. To explain this dysfunction, its director questioned the lack of funding from the Congolese authorities. To monitor everything, the World Bank, which was to renew a $ 2 million program for four years (in June last year) refused to put its hand in its pocket and feared the risk of embezzlement. Last year, Deputy Jean-Baptiste Muhindo Kasekwa had already tried to warn the Minister of Research about the mismanagement of the Volcanological Observatory of Goma. According to him, most of the observations of 351 employees were fictitious. His question to the congregation had not been followed. ”
Detonating cocktail!
As a result, Africa Arabia points out that “this new outbreak of Nyiragongo after 19 years of sleep surprised everyone. First of all, the population that did not receive a warning message. The local authorities then took more than two hours to respond. And finally, the government, which struggled to get its instructions, for lack of media. “
In conclusion, Africa Arabia ends, “chaotic communications, government shortages, failing and underfunded public services, suspicions of corruption at all levels … constitute an explosive cocktail that could have made the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano much more catastrophic. Dramatic, if by a miracle had the lava flow not stopped its course a few hundred meters from the center of Goma. ”
Emergency
Anyway, point WakatSerain Burkina, “reconstruction will soon be on the agenda, waiting for the next eruption of Nyiragongo, which, like all volcanoes, will once again rest on the surface, but still bubble from within. It is therefore important that the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo take appropriate measures to get the population out of the eye of the volcano. ”
Finally, exactly Young Africa, “President Félix Tshisekedi announced that he had suspended his stay in Europe, where he attended in particular the summit on the financing of African economies in Paris, to return as early as Sunday” in order to monitor the coordination of coordination for populations in areas threatened by this volcanic eruption. “The head of state who says he is” following very closely the development of security and humanitarian situations in northern Kivu “.
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