DRC : Ramadan under a cloud of uncertainty in Goma
With prayers at home and a muted breaking of the fast, the holy month is different this year for Muslims in Goma under M23 occupation.
READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/03/07/drc-ramadan-under-a-cloud-of-uncertainty-in-goma
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With prayers at home and a muted breaking of the fast, the holy month is different this year for Muslims in Goma under M23 occupation.
READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/03/07/drc-ramadan-under-a-cloud-of-uncertainty-in-goma
Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.
Africanews is available in English and French.
Website : www.africanews.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews
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NewsTranscript
00:00With prayers at home and a muted breaking of the fast, the holy month of Ramadan is
00:05different this year for Muslims in Goma. The city in the Eastern Democratic Republic of
00:09Congo was captured in January by M23 rebels, and the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear
00:15makes some traditional practices impossible.
00:19At the moment, some are meeting in their homes, but the Tarawih prayer is held as usual at
00:24the mosque. But there aren't as many of them as there used to be, but they are praying.
00:30On this Friday, the mosque is packed with worshippers, torn between the joy of marking
00:34Ramadan and their pain. Together, they share a common wish, to pray for a return to peace.
00:44Already in our sermons, we are calling for peace and are obliged to communicate in this
00:48way because this past month, in our prayers, we've asked for peace in the province and
00:52the country in general.
00:55This is the first time worshippers in Goma are experiencing the holy month of Ramadan
00:59in stressful conditions under the M23 occupation. Leaders of the Muslim community in the province
01:05are reassuring people and calling on the new leaders to guarantee the safety of the faithful
01:10throughout the period.
01:14Our leaders went to see the new people in charge of the town. Thank God they got the
01:17message to them and they asked us not to worry and agreed that we could say our evening prayers
01:22in safety. They gave us permission and asked Muslims to be quiet and to wear Muslim dress
01:28so that they could be identified as such.
01:33With insecurity intensifying at nightfall, mosques in Goma have been forced to recommend
01:38that worshippers living far away stay at home during evening prayers, particularly the tarawih,
01:43which is performed exclusively during Ramadan. In Goma, the holy month has not only become
01:49a symbol of resilience, but also an expression of people's hope for a return to peace and
01:55security.