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14 Responses to “Insecurity and Uncertainty Again in Goma”

1. Maria O. Says: 7 Nov 2008

   take good care Sam - be safe and smart.

2. mike crowe Says: 7 Nov 2008

   A uruguayan officor says that the drc gov is reinforcing its troops with Angolans brought in I suppose through goma. Nkundas hesitation in taking goma was to allow for the possibility of negotiations which do not seem to be forthcoming and also so that his troops would not be blamed for the atrocitys of the fleeing government soldiers. It seems logical for him now to take the city to prevent the resupply of his opponents whch is taking place If Nkunda is broken a this point what will happen to the tutsi of the area over the succeeding weeks? seeing Angolans and zimbabweans next to his border and tutsi being killed is far more likely to bring rwanda into the war than any friendly feelings he might have for Nkunda. cant some of the folks inthe un see the direction that this is unraveling.

3. Samantha Says: 7 Nov 2008

   To be honest the whole situation is quite surreal. I can see the same footage on the French news channel about the fighting, the dead civilians and the fleeing IDPs as you all can. And I speak to Diddy, Innocent, Balemba etc and hear their stories. And then you see the meetings in Nairobi between all the political leaders. It does seem far from the reality.
   Diddy is extremely worried about his family too. Justine and the kids are still trekking north east, and have settled in a village for the night. They need to make it to a place called Nyamilima that you probably cannot see on a map. But Justine has a brother there who will be able to help them. I have never seen Diddy so worried and upset.
   Innocent remains concerned for the safety of his father Silvestre and his mother, who are also right in the fighting zone.
   I will keep you posted as the night progresses if there is any news.

4. mike crowe Says: 7 Nov 2008

   -as far as the gorillas go, President Kagame in Kigali rwanda should be lobbied on their behalf. In the event of a wider war the virunga park is certain to be under his control for much of the duration of it. It would be a good public relations move for him to start off by ensuring the safety of the gorillas.

5. Lisa, California Says: 7 Nov 2008

   Bad news for sure. Stay safe Samantha and I’ll be thinking of all of you. I sure hope Diddy is able to reunite with his family soon. As well as Innocent. I can only imagine how they both feel. The thought of my husband and kids trekking through a forest full of fighting rebel groups just makes my stomach hurt. You guys be careful. Lisa

6. Linda Says: 8 Nov 2008

   Can’t add much to Lisa’s comments above Sam - just hands on our hearts here for Diddy & Innocent and all the others with family missing. Take great care everyone. The world is watching - as ever -just wish it would act.

7. Ory Okolloh Says: 8 Nov 2008

   Hi Samantha,

   Thanks for your reports. I just wanted to tell you about the Ushahidi DRC page that just went live today http://drc.ushahidi.com - I’d encourage you and your network to submit reports there as well…we are also hoping to help chronicle where help is desperately needed. We think it’s so important to get more local perspectives out there.

   If you have any questions, please drop me a line.

   Best,

   Ory

8. Annie Says: 8 Nov 2008

   Please be safe..thanks Samantha for all your info!

9. virginia Says: 8 Nov 2008

   Hope you have all had a quiet night so far. Keep safe.

10. mike crowe Says: 9 Nov 2008

    the melbourne herald sun article is somewhat of a fair portrayal of Nkunda. He is not perhaps a blood thirsty man and the troops longest under his command reflect this. part of his problem comes from the process of “mixage” which his troops have undergone. At one point while Nkunda a general in the army which he is presently fighting. his political commanders attempted to dilute his popularity with his troops three to one by sending in many new officors and men who would supposedly be loyal to the federal gov. The problem was that these new men as well found Nkunda to be a charismatic leader and shifted their alegiance Nkunda ended up with five batallions instead of two but it is clear Nkunda has had some trouble weaning some of them from the common practises of the fardc which they were formally part of. Th atrocity problem is likely to worsen if Nkunnda does not watch his ass carefully as new elements he has not personally trained join his forces .

11. mike crowe Says: 9 Nov 2008

    It seems far better to negotiate with Nkunda than to force him to win. His force is also in and around Virunga fighting the fdlr. Are here any Pentecostal church goers out there? Maybe christians of other sorts who could approach him on the gorillas behalf. Like winston Churchill said It is better to talk talk than to war war. At the moment he is our best candidate for making sure the gorillas dont get shot off in the next couple of months.. The fdlr certainly wont bloody well look after them. Nkunda should be approached and lobbied, apparently he keeps up his communications net and is available for interviews and conversations

12. mike crowe Says: 10 Nov 2008

    a revealing article in the monitor[uganda] in the news column at this site. To its neighbours drc is starting to look like one hormongous cooked turkey steaming on a platter awaiting carving.

13. mike crowe Says: 10 Nov 2008

    The dieing in the drc over the last ten years equals one rwandan genocide of 94 for every year.

14. mike crowe Says: 10 Nov 2008

    any heroic journalists out there who would want to be “embedded” with Nkundas troops in Virunga so we could keep tabs on the guerrillas behaviour towards the gorillas Nkunda keeps his outside communications up so a wildlife reporter would be able to ask permission to join him and would be able to post out afterwards .