400,000 people torn from their homes in 29 days. That means that every night, while we sleep peacefully, over 13,000 men, women, and children flee. Every morning, 13,000 new faces wake up in terror, without shelter, without water, without hope.
Goma is burning. But Goma doesn’t make the headlines.
Silence: They Are Killing in the DRC
On January 27, 2025, the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, fell. A lightning offensive by the M23, backed by the Rwandan army, crushed Congolese resistance. The toll? 17 dead, 370 wounded, and a massive population exodus (Le Monde). The city’s strategic airport has been seized, looting is spreading, and bombings are hitting refugee camps.
But where is our outrage? Where are the silent marches, the solidarity posts, the alarmed front pages? It is striking how we were Charlie in 2015, but we are not Goma in 2025. Why this guilty silence?
An Economic Conflict Hidden Beneath Bombs
The tragedy of the DRC is that its wealth is its curse. North Kivu sits atop a treasure:
- 60% of the world’s coltan reserves, a crucial mineral for our smartphones, consoles, and computers.
- 70% of the world’s cobalt, essential for electric car batteries.
- Gold and diamond deposits that fuel global greed.
For decades, war has been nothing but a facade. Rebellions, shifting alliances, and massacres mask an economy of plunder, where armed groups—backed by foreign interests—fight over resources.
The M23 is not fighting for ideals. It is fighting for Rubaya, a coltan mine worth billions of dollars. (Reuters). And while we ignore this war, our phones and cars bear its bloody imprint.
A Complicit Silence
« The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. » – Edmund Burke.
We can no longer pretend we don’t know. Every moment of inaction makes our silence complicit. We stood for Ukraine, we cried for Palestine, we were outraged for Paris and New York. But Goma? Nothing.
The UN officially accuses Rwanda of backing the M23, yet no major sanctions are imposed (TV5 Monde). Apple and other corporations face lawsuits for indirectly funding these massacres (VOA Afrique), but the demand for conflict minerals remains high.
So what can we do?
Act, Now
We have a responsibility. Indignation is not a privilege of Europe or America.
- Talk about Goma. Refuse to let this massacre be forgotten.
- Demand sanctions against Rwanda. Just as we have done for other countries violating international law.
- Support NGOs on the ground. Humanitarian aid, advocacy, diplomatic pressure.
- Hold corporations accountable. Our purchases fuel this carnage. Apple, Tesla, and others must be forced into transparency.
Goma is watching us. It is already too late for the 400,000 displaced in January. Let’s not be too late for the next ones.
Were you Charlie? It’s time to be Goma.