Officials exchange blame for failure of volcanic warning system

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GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO In the early hours of the day, under the hot sun, Florida Baralizi sits on a rock in front of a small hut, looking sad and lost. On May 22, the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, one of Africa’s most dangerous volcanoes, surprised Baralizi and hundreds of thousands of other residents who lived at the foot of the volcano. Everything she owned in her house, her shop, her clothes, her money, her personal documents and the field where she cultivated beans were reduced to ashes.

Today, the 43-year-old woman lives with her four children and 400 other families in a refugee camp about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the volcano, in the village of Bukanda, a short distance from the town of Goma.

For a second, I thought it was all a dream, that none of it was real, she said. Unfortunately, I was wide awake and realized that I had just lost my home and everything I had that helped me support my children.

The eruption destroyed more than 3,000 homes and displaced some 400,000 people in eastern DRC. At least 31 people were killed. As people like Baralizi rebuild their lives, locals and scientists alike say the dire consequences of the eruption could have been avoided if the government’s early warning system had worked properly.

Noella Nyirabihogo, GPJ DRC

People take photos and observe lava in May, the day after Mount Nyiragongo erupted.

The centerpiece of the country’s risk mitigation program is the Goma Volcano Observatory, established by the government in 1986. After the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in 2002, the GVO began monitoring two active volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamulagira, looking for signs of an eruption. This early warning system was supposed to alert residents of an impending volcanic eruption two weeks before it occurred, giving them time to evacuate. But when Mount Nyiragongo erupted again in May, there was no warning.

Residents and scientists accuse GVO administrators of corruption and mismanagement. In June, a group of scientists working at GVO sent an open letter to DRC President Flix Tshisekedi, accusing GVO administrators of embezzling funds. More than $ 7 million from the European Union, the World Bank and other groups was not spent on the planned projects, the scientists accused.

Most of the funds intended to support these projects have been embezzled and have prevented many projects from moving forward, the note says, including public awareness campaigns, research programs and equipment purchases.

Clestin Kasereka Mahinda, the scientific director of the GVO, defends the agency against the charges, saying the GVO has stopped receiving aid from the central government and international donors. Due to this lack of financial support, Mahinda explains, Mount Nyiragongo had not been monitored for seven months, from October 2020 to April 2021.

During that time, we had no internet connection and weren’t receiving any real-time data, Mahinda says.

Noella Nyirabihogo, GPJ DRC

Displaced residents wait for help in Bukanda refugee camp.

In May, the GVO received additional funding from the United States, Mahinda says, which allowed it to resume monitoring magmatic activity inside the volcano. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to prepare for the impending eruption.

We saw some warning signs by the time we gained access to the internet, but the volcano was already showing a high level of activity, Mahinda says. This is why we were surprised by the eruption.

At a press conference on June 5, Jos Panda Kabangu, the Minister of Scientific Research, acknowledged that the government had not prioritized GVO resources, and said the observatory would receive the funding and the equipment he needed in the future.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the government struggled to provide people with food, water and medical care. In June, Tshisekedi announced the creation of an agency that would work alongside the GVO to ensure stronger disaster prevention and management.

For many affected residents, such proposals come far too late.

The rash cost me everything, and life here is very difficult, especially for our children, says Hangi Bizimungu, father of six. They don’t eat or sleep well.

Noella Nyirabihogo, GPJ DRC

Hangi Bizimungu sits in front of a makeshift hut on the grounds of a school near Goma, where he and his family sleep in the classrooms. They were displaced by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.

The Bizimungus family is one of more than 1,000 people who took refuge at the Kahembe school in the Kibati groupement, a few kilometers from Goma. Despite the support they receive from various aid groups, living in school has been difficult. Displaced families sleep in classrooms at night but must leave when students arrive in the morning. They only share four toilets, which creates long queues and unsanitary conditions.

Baralizi, who was financially independent before the eruption, now spends her days waiting for food so that she and her children can eat. Every morning and evening, she prays that she will once again have a decent home and business.

The president recently came to the camp and promised us things would improve, Baralizi said. But one thing is clear: life will never be the same again.

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