20 of our brethren remain in Goma refugee camp
By Jack Brunet
GOMA, Zaire--Goma is one of three places in Zaire where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) keeps 2.5 million Rwandan refugees who fled civil war in their country.
Refugees arrived exhausted, wounded and thirsty. Many died on the streets from cholera, dysentery, a lack of clean drinking water and other diseases.
Into this setting 50 Worldwide Church of God members from eight Rwandan families arrived in Goma. Each family has its story of protection, and no words can fully express what they went through.
They stayed in different refugee camps, but some, because of their Zairian descendancy, stayed out of the camps.
After a few months, 15 people from four families returned to Rwanda. Others couldn't return because their homes were destroyed or were occupied by the military.
Jean Ndayambaje's story is touching. Mr. Ndayambaje spent much of his life in Germany, but he returned to Rwanda with enough money to settle in his native land.
Three months after he invested all he had, the civil war forced him to abandon everything. He miraculously found his way back to Germany.
One Rwandan member is in Kenya. Two families comprising 11 people moved to Bukavu, 150 kilometers (about 90 miles) north of Goma.
Three families made up of 20 people live in Goma. With a church donation, Mrs. Mukantabana and her seven children rented a house there.
These church refugee families are coordinated by Jacques Muzalia, a Zairian working for an electric company in Goma after his escape from Rwanda, where he was a teacher.
Rwanda is under Tutsi domination. Among the three families living in Goma, Mr. Kabinana's wife is a Tutsi. She is afraid of returning to Rwanda because the Hutus killed her parents, three brothers and two sisters.
Her husband, a Zairian mechanic, is working in Kigali, Rwanda, while waiting to join his family in Goma. He recovered their home, which was occupied by a family that renounced its original plan to kill his family.
Mr. Kabinana is the church coordinator in Kigali.
Knowing what goes on in a refugee camp and seeing so many broken lives is touching and unforgettable.
The seven-member Banzubaze family lives in the UNHCR refugee camp of Mugumga with 300,000 other Hutus 15 kilometers (about nine miles) from Goma.
Their case is the worst faced by our brethren. Mr. Banzubaze comes from the Hutu presidential village, now under pressure from Tutsi soldiers. He previously managed national parks in Rwanda. During the civil war he was a chemist in Kigali.
Today, the Banzubaze house is occupied by Tutsi soldiers and it is impossible for Mr. Banzubaze to return. Because his two brothers helped defend Kigali against Tutsi rebel attacks, he risks revenge if he returns to Rwanda.
The Banzubazes have a blue plastic roof for a house, three volcanic stones for beds and two blankets. Volcanic rocks on the ground cut their skin and tear their clothes.
Food supplied by the United Nations is insufficient, and distribution is irregular. Food is either stolen or misappropriated.
It is hard to imagine how people live in such poverty. But it is interesting to see how they begin new lives in a hostile environment. A new city is emerging with a cultural center, a hotel, a market and a sports field.
Many children live in the camp. They approach you to shake your hand and receive affection because many have lost their parents. Their hearts are broken and their minds traumatized by images of violence and slaughter.
One man said he doubts that Hutus and Tutsis could ever live together again in Rwanda. His mind is filled with revenge. Children try to survive and look for a reason to live but are questioning about trusting others.
During a service in Goma for refugee members, it was moving to see Hutus and Tutsis singing together for Christ, who died for the reconciliation of humanity.
We feel ineffective, but we must do something according to the love given to us by Jesus Christ. The situation is not as gloomy today in Goma as it was in 1994 because of a certain degree of economic renewal in the region.
A lot still has to be done, and your prayers can make a difference in the refugees' future.
REFUGEE CONGREGATION--The congregation in Goma consists of the Banzubaze, Kandinana and Muzalia families and others. [Photos by Jack Brunet]
REFUGEE HOME--Six of the seven members of the Banzubaze family are shown in front of their home in the Mugumga refugee camp.
SURVIVORS IN ZAIRE--Mrs. Disashi (left) was one of three survivors in a bus accident Jan. 1. Mrs. Bamongo works in a market where a plane crashed in December. (See Jan. 30 Worldwide News for details.)