On Jan. 27, 2025, Goma, the capital of North Kivu in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fell into the hands of M23 rebels who are supported by the Rwandan army. The offensive is certainly related to the presence of immense mineral resources in the region, including cobalt, gold, diamonds and copper. Many of the one million inhabitants of Goma have fled the fighting to make their way to makeshift camps. Marie Hatem, a professor of global health at the University of Montréal, was in the region when the fighting broke out. She offers a poignant account of what she and her colleagues, both westerners and Congolese, witnessed during those days of terror.
I left Montréal on Jan. 17, 2025, for an assignment that was scheduled to end on March 8. The trip was divided between Congo and Burundi, a neighbouring state. I have travelled throughout sub-Saharan Africa during my career to help improve practices of reproductive health personnel.
