Goma

Goma
Goma City on the shore of Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Goma Location in the Congo
Coordinates: 1°41′S 29°14′E / 1.683°S 29.233°E / -1.683; 29.233
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Province	North Kivu
Government
• Mayor	Naason Kubuya Ndoole
Area
• Total	75.72 km2 (29.24 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	1,000,000
Time zone	DRC2 (UTC+2)
National language	Swahili
Climate	Aw

Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift system. Goma lies only 13 to 18 km due south of the crater of the active Nyiragongo Volcano. The recent history of Goma has been dominated by the volcano and the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, which in turn fuelled the First and Second Congo Wars. The aftermath of these events was still having effects on the city and its surroundings in 2010. The city was captured by rebels during the M23 rebellion in late 2012, but has since been retaken by government forces.

Goma is the capital of the North Kivu province, which is ethnically similar and neighboring to South Kivu (with the capital Bukavu); together the two provinces are known as "the Kivus".

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was perpetrated by the provisional Rwandan government on the Tutsi, population and Hutu moderates. In response the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), formed by Tutsi refugees in Uganda, which already controlled large areas of northern Rwanda following its 1990 invasion and the ongoing Civil War, overthrew the Hutu government in Kigali and forced it. One of the many UN missions attempted to provide a safe zone in the volatile situation and provided safe passage for the refugees, however they were French. From June 13 to July 14, 1994, 10,000 to 12,000 refugees per day crossed the border into Goma. The massive influx created a severe humanitarian crisis, as there was an acute lack of shelter, food and water. However the Zaïrean government took it upon themselves to garner attention for the situation. Shortly after the arrival of nearly one million refugees, a deadly cholera outbreak claimed thousands of lives in the Hutu refugee camps around Goma. RPF aligned forces, manly actors in the conflict, crossed the border and in acts of revenge also claimed several lives.