Congo to begin phased return of residents to volcano-hit city

Democratic Republic of Congo will start a phased return of residents who fled Goma in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption that destroyed thousands of homes, the government said on Monday.

The government said it would provide buses and trucks beginning on Tuesday to help people return to the city.

However, Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde said sites on the outskirts of Goma that were destroyed by the eruption could no longer be inhabited.

On Saturday, the government re-opened Goma’s airport, which is eastern Congo’s main hub for delivering aid to the strife-torn region.

People made homeless by the eruption would be temporarily rehoused and given assistance to rebuild, the government said in a statement.

Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, had last erupted in 2002, killing more 200 people and sending lava gushing through Goma.

Last month’s eruption killed at least 31 people.

Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke