Congo, the heartbreaking story of the Italian cooperative

He ‘feared for his life’ ‘and that of his wife and son. Roberto Solagna, Italian cooperative and contact person in the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the NGO Ai.Bi. (Friends of the children), he fled Goma, where he lived since 2014, In Ruanda ” in a shower of bombs and bullets ”as he says at the Adnkronos, taking advantage of the ” frontier that was still open “. Now, he explains, ” The border with the Rwanda is closed and you can no longer go out “, so the Italians who have not” taken advantage of the opportunity offered by the Italian embassy in Kinshasa ” remained there.

” They don’t leave the house, he is not sure – he explains – a Congolese friend of mine was injured in the leg by a loose bullet and was operated on. Fortunately he is fine ”. Among the remaining Italians ” there are those who work with the Red Cross in hospitals in the peripheral areas of the city of Goma who are submerged by wounded ”, he explains. The ” two hundred children ” that the Ai.Bi are also safe. He witnesses Goma, ” 50 to their families and others in the two orphanages ” in the city.

The situation in orphanedotrophies

Solagna, the only Italian present in Goma for Ai.Bi. And in Africa with various cooperation projects since 2007, he explains to be ” in contact with the managers of the two orphanages. Children are ‘in hibernation’, they sleep under the beds, they do not leave their roomsare in safe places far from the windows to avoid being affected by wandering bullets ”. Risk that the Veronese cooperative, a former computer consultant, also pointed to Kigali when, just 5 kilometers from the border with Rwanda, ” a bomb exploded a few hundred meters from us ”.

In the Rwandan capital, he explains, ” the situation is sure, even if everything is precarious and you can never know ”. Arrived in Goma from Burundi, where he had gone in 2007, Solagna admits: ” I would never have expected a situation like the one we are experiencing these days ”. Although, he explains, ” For two years now the security situation and the humanitarian situation has always gone worse “. For example, he quotes the fact that ” in recent months there has been a number of street children who had never seen each other. In each small corner of the city there are small curtains resting on the walls, with children aged 6 to 9 who live there ”.

Now ” The rebels of the M23 have conquered Goma and the city is under their control “, continues Solagna remembering that a similar situation had already been created in 2012. ” The same group had managed to take control of Goma e of some provinces of North Kivu. After a while everything returned ”, but now the rebels ” they feel betrayed and want to negotiate by placing the conditions “.

Packed houses and shops

On the future, the cooperative states that “if you find an agreement and stop shooting, you can resume a normal life”. And on his personal future, Solagna says: ” I would like to know if there is still our home. From Sunday various criminal groups have been plundering shops and houses …”. On the hypothesis of returning to Italy he concludes: “If the conditions do not allow us to return to Goma, we will have no choice if you do not return to Italy”, but the hope is that ” the situation stabilizes, my son can return to school, my Congolese wife to his family ”.