The city of Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu in the DRC, has survived,

. Threatened with destruction by the Nyiragongo volcano, which erupted in the early evening on Saturday, finally, Goma was not reached by the lava flows. 

 Patrick Muyaya, the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, gave the provisional assessment of the eruption last night,

at least 15 dead, 17 villages affected, 3 health structures and a primary school destroyed.

Lots of loss of goods and looted goods.

Patrick Muyaya also indicates that the priority of the government is to "reflect on strengthening prevention".

However, he continued, "the urgency for the moment is to provide assistance to the population".

once the news of the eruption of the volcano spread in the surroundings, the populations, who had not forgotten the tragedies of the previous eruptions, abandoned their homes for themselves. flee, in particular towards neighboring Rwanda. But on the spot, we deplore thousands of homeless people, including women and children living in a situation of extreme distress. 

we limit ourselves to thanking Providence which wanted the eruption to do no more damage,

Ledjely.

But it should be noted the culpable negligence that the Congolese authorities generally show in the management of these volcanic issues.

Thus, if the Observatory of Volcanology of Goma could not predict the eruption of last Saturday, it is because it does not make any more observations, for lack of means.

the volcano had not been under surveillance ... for seven months.

Due to lack of money, 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 top it off, the World Bank, which was to renew a program of $ 2 million over four years, refused (last June) to put its hand in the pocket, fearing the risk of embezzlement.

Last year, the deputy Jean-Baptiste Muhindo Kasekwa had already tried to alert the Minister of Research on the mismanagement of the Volcanological Observatory of Goma.

According to him, of the 351 employees of the Observatory, the majority of jobs were fictitious.

His question to the Assembly had gone unheeded.

this new eruption of Nyiragongo after 19 years of sleep took everyone by surprise.

First of all, the population, who received no warning message.

The local authorities then, who took more than two hours to react.

And finally, the government which has struggled to pass its instructions, for lack of media relay.

Afrikarabia, "

chaotic communication, state deficiencies, failing and underfunded public services, suspicion of corruption at all levels ... make up an explosive cocktail that could have turned the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano into a much more disaster. dramatic, if by a miracle the lava flow had not stopped its course a few hundred meters from the center of Goma

reconstruction will soon be on the agenda, pending the next eruption of Nyiragongo, which, like all volcanoes, will once again fall dormant on the surface, but will always bubble up. inside.

It is therefore urgent that the authorities of the DRC take the appropriate measures to get the populations out of the eye of the mountain of fire.

President Félix Tshisekedi announced that he had interrupted his stay in Europe, where he notably participated in the summit on the financing of African economies in Paris, to return as early as yesterday Sunday" so, he said. , to supervise the coordination of aid to the populations of the zones threatened by this volcanic eruption ".

The head of state who says he is following "very closely the development of the security and humanitarian situation in North Kivu".