Editor’s Note: Garry Prieb reports Feb. 14 that Bukavu has fallen to the M23 rebels. A Feb. 14 Reuters report confirms that Rwandan-backed M23 rebels appeared to be closing in on Bukavu, as they seized control of the nearby airport of Kavumu, prompting Congolese troops to withdraw in some areas. Prieb requests prayer and support for this war-torn region. He says the humanitarian crisis is growing and that the ongoing conflict threatens to destabilize peace in the rest of DR Congo and within the region. This story was also updated Feb. 7 to include the mailing address of Lumeya International Ministries.
Mennonite Brethren in the Democratic Republic of Congo are requesting prayer and humanitarian aid as eastern DR Congo faces what the United Nations and aid agencies are calling a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.
In late January, Tutsi-led, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the strategic city of Goma in the Kivu Province, an area with 10 Mennonite Brethren churches, including seven in the city and three on the outskirts.
The death toll has reached 700, and more than 2,800 have been injured since Jan. 26, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“Local people tell us they are hunkered down in their homes without food, water or electricity while gunshots are heard nearby,” writes Garry Prieb, a retired Multiply employee who grew up in DRC, in a Facebook post. “We are told that thousands have left the area already, fleeing for their lives. The city is paralyzed.”
Prieb has been in contact with the MB church leaders in Congo, who are requesting humanitarian assistance.
Eastern Congo is an area torn by conflict, as various groups clash over minerals, territory and revenge. M23 is rooted in ethnic conflict stemming from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
A city of 2 million people, Goma has gold, coltan and tin ore mines. The advance prompted fears of escalated conflict, as rebels moved south toward Bukavu.
Tax-deductible donations for Goma relief may be made through the 501(c)3 Lumeya International Ministries. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 15383, Fresno, CA 93702.
Feb. 6: Read the pastoral prayer letter from Mennonite World Conference regarding Goma: https://mwc-cmm.org/en/stories/a-pastoral-letter-for-anabaptist-mennonites-in-dr-congo/
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and two Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals awards in 2022 and 2025. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
