The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted September 8, 2007, 3:35 pm by Matthew De Galan

A Day in the Office

Mugur came back from a security briefing at the UN with the following updates:

• In Ruthuru, 40 miles north, rebel troops took out the radio and cell phone tower, cutting off communications to the FARDC garrison there. In the old days, you took over the radio and television stations. Now, you just blow up the cell phone tower.
• Several incidents also occurred right in town:
• A hand grenade was tossed into a home in Ndosha, a neighborhood right in town, where we've done 100 surveys. Four people were injured.
• Police engaged in a day-time shootout with "bandits" in downtown Goma. Several were killed.
• Armed bandits raided and looted six homes on the eastern edge of Goma, raping several women.
• Finally, a Russian cargo plane crashed on the runway in Goma, which has a lava flow at the end of it. First report was that it was a passenger plane and all aboard died. But then it was reported it was a cargo plane. All aboard still died. Five in all. Some obnoxious Russians and their Congolese "girlfriends" were having dinner in the hotel the night before; one of the Russians was brutally berating Robin, one of our favorite waiters, for getting the order wrong. Chelsea and I were fuming. Could he have been on the plane? Is this how karma plays out in the DRC?

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Pierrot, the Italian journalist, turned up today, quite alive, at the Ihusi Hotel. He was doing a story about the genocide of the pygmies, way up near Ituri. He drove back by motorcycle, 12 hours. He was quite amused by the reports of his demise.