Ville de Goma
Location in the Congo
Province	Nord-Kivu
Government
- Mayor	Polydor Windi Kwawmrwha
Area
- City	75.72 km²  (29.2 sq mi)
- Land	75.72 km² (29.2 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- City	249,862
Time zone	DRC2 (UTC+2)

Goma is a city of 160,000 in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the western branch of the Great Rift Valley, and 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 affects on the city and its surroundings in 2007. Goma can mean Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo Goma, a character in the Legend of Zelda game series GoMA, a modern art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland Paul Goma, a Romanian writer. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Main article: Subdivisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo See also : List of Provincial Governors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Future provinces from the 2005 Constitution 25 provinces and the capital city Kinshasa The 2005 Congolese 2005 Congolese Constitution (article 2) creates 25 new provinces, alongside the... Country Democratic Republic of the Congo Capital Goma Largest city Goma National language Swahili Land area¹ 59,483 km² Governor Eugène Serufuli Ngayabaseka Population Density 3,564,434 (est. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, we list here areas between 10 km² (1000 hectares) and 100 km² (10,000 hectares). ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Eastern European Time Central Africa Time Israel Standard Time South Africa Standard Time Central European Summer Time West Africa Summer Time Category: ... Look up city, City in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... Gisenyi is a lake resort, lying on Lake Kivu in Rwanda. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mount Nyiragongo is a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Great Rift Valley or East African Rift. ... The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. ... Combatants AFDL, Uganda, Rwanda Zaire Commanders Laurent-Désiré Kabila Mobutu Sésé Seko Casualties Civilians killed: 200,000+ The First Congo War was a conflict from late 1996 to 1997 in which Zairean President Mobutu Sésé Seko was overthrown by rebel forces backed by foreign powers such as... Combatants Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Chad, Mai-Mai, Hutu-aligned forces Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Movement for the Liberation of Congo Congolese Rally for Democracy Tutsi-aligned forces Commanders Laurent-Désiré Kabila (Congo), Joseph Kabila (Congo), Sam Nujoma Robert Mugabe José Eduardo dos Santos Idriss D... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Goma is capital of North Kivu province, ethnically and geographically similar to South Kivu (capital Bukavu); the two provinces are known as "the Kivus". Nord-Kivu is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Sud-Kivu is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the southern end of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda. ...

Effects of the Rwandan Genocide

Goma at the centre of the refugee crisis

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was perpetrated by the Hutu-dominated provisional Rwandan government on the Tutsi population. In response the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) formed by Tutsi refugees in Uganda invaded Rwanda, forcing the Hutu provisional government to Gisenyi. As the RPF won the upper hand, Hutus fled to Gisenyi then, from July 13 to July 14, 1994, 10,000–12,000 refugees per hour crossed the border into Goma as the Great Lakes refugee crisis took shape. The massive influx created a severe humanitarian crisis, as there was an acute lack of shelter, food and water. Shortly after the arrival of nearly one million refugees, a deadly cholera outbreak claimed thousands of lives in the Hutu refugee camps around Goma. The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa and the Hutu. ... The Rwandan Patriotic Front (also translated as: Rwandese Patriotic Front; or referred to as: Patriotic Front of Rwanda) abbreviated as RPF (also often referred to as FPR from French: Front patriotique rwandais) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Refugee camp in Zaire, 1994 The Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide. ... Cholera (or Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ...

Goma in the First Congo War

Hutu militias and members of the Hutu provisional government were among the refugees, and they set up operations from the camps around Goma attacking ethnic Tutsis in the Kivus and Rwandan government forces at the border. For political reasons the Kinshasa government of the then Zaire led by Joseph Mobutu did not prevent the attacks, and so the Rwandan government and its Ugandan allies threw their support behind the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Zaire, a rebel movement led by Laurent Kabila against Mobutu. Rwandan forces stormed the camps at Goma, resulting in thousands of additional deaths, and with their help and that of Uganda, Kabila went on to overthrow Mobutu's regime in the First Congo War, ending in 1997. Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku wa za Banga (or Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga; October 14, 1930 - September 7, 1997) was the President of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) from 1965 to 1997. ... The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL) was a coalition of Congolese dissidents, disgruntled minority groups and nations that toppled President Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent Kabila to power in the First Congo War (1996-1998). ... Note: if you came to this web page after seeing it in a SPAM email, please be advised that (a) we have nothing to do with that spam and (b) the person who sent you the message is a criminal who is trying to steal your money. ... Combatants AFDL, Uganda, Rwanda Zaire Commanders Laurent-Désiré Kabila Mobutu Sésé Seko Casualties Civilians killed: 200,000+ The First Congo War was a conflict from late 1996 to 1997 in which Zairean President Mobutu Sésé Seko was overthrown by rebel forces backed by foreign powers such as... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Goma in the Second Congo War

Within a year Kabila had quarrelled with his former allies, and in 1998 the Rwandan government backed a Goma-based rebel movement against Kabila, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD, sometimes called RCD-Goma) made of Banyamulenge people, related to the Tutsis. They captured Bukavu and other towns, and the Second Congo War began. The Goma refugee camps, in which the Hutu had created a militia called the FDLR (Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda), were again attacked by Rwandan government forces and the RCD. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Congolese Rally for Democracy, sometimes Rally for Congolese Democracy, was a rebel group operating in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ... The Banyamulenge are a group of Tutsi living in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ... Combatants Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Chad, Mai-Mai, Hutu-aligned forces Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Movement for the Liberation of Congo Congolese Rally for Democracy Tutsi-aligned forces Commanders Laurent-Désiré Kabila (Congo), Joseph Kabila (Congo), Sam Nujoma Robert Mugabe José Eduardo dos Santos Idriss D...

The Second Congo War was unprecendented in Africa for the loss of civilian life in massacres and atrocities. By 2003 the Banyamulenge had become tired of the war and friction emerged between them and Rwanda. In 2002 and 2003 a fragile negotiated peace emerged between the many sides involved in the war.

Conflict since the end of the war

There have been numerous outbreaks of violence since 2003. The Hutu FDLR remains in the forests and mountains north and west of Goma, carrying out attacks on the Rwandan border and on the Banyamulenge. The Congolese defence forces are unable or unwilling to stop them, and as a consequence Rwanda continues to support Banymulenge rebels such as the RCD and General Nkunda, and to carry out incursions into North Kivu in pursuit of the FDLR.^[1] Laurent Nkunda (IRIN) Laurent Nkunda alias Laurent Nkundabatware or Laurent Nkunda Batware (born February 2, 1967) is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is the current leader of a rebel faction operating in the province of Nord-Kivu, sympathetic to Congolese...

2007

In September 2007 large-scale fighting threatened to break out again as the 8000-strong militia of General Nkunda, based atound Rutshuru, broke away from integration with the Congolese army and began attacking them in the town of Masisi north-west of Goma. The United Nations began airlifting Congolese troops into Goma and transferring them by helicopter from Goma International Airport to Masisi.^[1] Rutshuru, sometimes called Rushuru, is a town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying near the Rwandan and Ugandan borders. ... MONUC is a French acronym for Mission de l Organisation des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo, in English: Mission of the United Nations (UN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ...

Volcanic activity around Goma

The Great Rift Valley is being pulled apart, leading to earthquakes and the formation of volcanoes in the area.

2002 Eruption of Nyiragongo

Computer image of Nyiragongo volcano generated from satellite photographs, showing the Goma-Gisenyi conurbation on the lake shore in the foreground. In the background, left, is the Nyamuragira volcano.

In January 2002, Nyiragongo erupted, sending a stream of lava 200 m to 1 km wide and up to 2 m deep through the center of the city as far as the lake shore. Agencies monitoring the volcano were able to give a warning and most of the population of Goma evacuated to Gisenyi. The lava destroyed 40% of the city (more than 4500 houses and buildings). There were some fatalities caused by the lava and by emissions of carbon dioxide, which causes asphyxiation. The lava also covered over the northern 1 km of the 3-kilometre runway of Goma International Airport, isolating the terminal and apron which were at that end.^[2] The lava can easily be seen in satellite photographs,^[3] and aircraft can be seen using the 2 km southern section of the runway which is clear of lava. Image File history File links Nyiragongo_volcano_-_SRTM.jpg PIA03337 Nyiragongo volcano, Congo, Pre-eruption Perspective View, SRTM / Landsat Source: http://photojournal. ... Image File history File links Nyiragongo_volcano_-_SRTM.jpg PIA03337 Nyiragongo volcano, Congo, Pre-eruption Perspective View, SRTM / Landsat Source: http://photojournal. ... Mount Nyamuragira is an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Goma Airport is an airport in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (IATA: GOM, ICAO: FZNA). ...

In 2005, volcanic activity again threatened the city. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The threat posed by Lake Kivu

Main article: Limnic eruption

Lake Kivu is one of three lakes in African identified as having huge quantities of dissolved gas held at pressure in its depths. One of the others, Lake Nyos, experienced a limnic eruption or 'lake overturn', a catastrophic release of suffocating carbon dioxide probably triggered by landslides, which killed nearly two thousand people in the area around the lake. Kivu is 2000 times bigger and also contains dissolved methane as an additional hazard. Nearly two million people including the population of Goma live in the vicinity of Lake Kivu and could be in danger from a limnic eruption triggered by one of the nearby volcanoes and the earthquakes associated with them.^[4] A cow suffocated by gasses from Lake Nyos A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn or exploding lake, is a rare type of natural disaster in which CO2 suddenly erupts from deep lake water, posing the threat of suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. ... Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located at . ... A cow suffocated by gasses from Lake Nyos A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn or exploding lake, is a rare type of natural disaster in which CO2 suddenly erupts from deep lake water, posing the threat of suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. ...

Other features of Goma

• The city centre is ony 1 km from the Rwandan border and 3.5 km from the centre of Gisenyi.
• Goma International Airport does not currently receive international flights due to the damage caused by the 2002 eruption.
• Goma has four or five lakeside wharves totalling about 130 m, the longest being about 80 m.
• Virunga National Park, home to mountain gorillas lies north of the city.
• National Road No. 2 connected Goma to Bukavu and Kisangani but at August 2007 had not been reopened after the damage caused by the wars and lack of maintenance.
• Goma was known for its nightlife.

The Virunga National Park lies in the Virunga Mountains of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Volcans National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori National Park in Uganda. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. ... National Road No. ... Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the southern end of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda. ... Kisangani, formerly Stanleyville, (population 500,000) is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. ... Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. ...

See also

• Lake Kivu
• Bukavu
• North Kivu
• South Kivu

Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the southern end of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda. ... Nord-Kivu is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Sud-Kivu is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ...

References

External links

• Tom Casadevall of the United States Geological Survey; "The 1994 Rwandan Refugee Crisis: Cultural Awareness in Managing Natural Disasters" (1h28m streaming video). Lecture given at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on vulcanology around Goma

v • d • e Capitals of the Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006 Constitution)
Sankuru • Bas-Uele • Kongo Central • Kwango • Kwilu • Mai-Ndombe • Kinshasa • Kasaï • Lulua • Kasaï oriental • Lomami • Maniema • Sud-Kivu • Nord-Kivu • Ituri • Haut-Uele • Tshopo • Nord-Ubangi • Mongala • Sud-Ubangi • Équateur • Tshuapa • Tanganyika • Haut-Lomami • Lualaba • Haut-Katanga

Coordinates: 1°41′S, 29°14′E InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... A Corner of Main Quad The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, or simply Illinois), is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious campus in the University of Illinois system. ... Main article: Subdivisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The 2005 Congolese Constitution (article 2) - which came into effect in February 2006 - creates 25 new provinces, alongside the city/province of Kinshasa, which remains the capital city; this new territorial organization is to take effect within 36 months of... Lodja is a town in Sankuru Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Buta is a town in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying on the Itimbiri River. ... The suburbs of Matadi Matadi is a port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the province Bas-Congo. ... Kikwit is a city lying on the Kwilu River in the south western Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Kananga is the capital of the Kasai-Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Mbuji-Mayi (formerly Bakwanga) serves as the capital of Kasai-Oriental (Anglicized as East-Kasai) province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Kabinda may refer to Kabinda district, Kasai-Oriental province, Democratic Republic of Congo Kabinda territory, a subdivision of Kabinda district See also: Cabinda Category: ... Kindu is a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the capital of Maniema province. ... Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the southern end of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda. ... Bunia is the capital of Ituri Province (and formerly the headquarters of Ituri district of the former Orientale Province, pre-2006 constitution) , Democratic Republic of the Congo, lying north of Mount Hoyo and west of Lake Albert. ... Isiro is a city located in Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Kisangani, formerly Stanleyville, (population 500,000) is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. ... Gbadolite is a town in northern Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Lisala is a city in Mongala Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Gemena is a city located in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Mbandaka, formerly known as Coquilhatville is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki Rivers. ... Boende is a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying on the Tshuapa River east of Mbandaka. ... Kalemie, fomerly Alberville, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Kamina is a city in Haut-Lomami, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Kolwezi is a city in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi in the province of Katanga. ... Nickname: Location in the Congo Province Katanga Government  - Governor Moise Katumbi Area  - City 747 km²  (288. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...