Kinshasa,
A week after the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, the Congolese government mistakenly announced a false alarm, sending the country into panic mode.
Patrick Muyaya, the Communication minister and the government spokesperson, had annnounced the eruption of a volcano of “low intensity” that was not a threat to any inhabited area on a northern flank of the Nyamulagira volcano, neighboring Nyiragongo.
Later on Saturday, he wrote on Twitter that the announcement was a false alarm.
“A plane just flew over the entire area of the flanks of this volcano. No eruption was observed. It was rather intense activities of charcoal, the smoke of which has was perceived as an activity of the volcano,” he said.
This confusion by the Congolese authorities sparked criticism from the public, with some saying the government should focus on providing humanitarian support for the more than 400,000 people who fled from Goma after the Nyiragongo eruption.
The authorities have announced that earthquakes in the region are no longer intense, but the fear of new ones and the explosion of methane gas, which is very toxic, still persists.
Last Friday, President Felix Tshisekedi instructed the Minister of Hydrocarbons to “ensure the start of degassing works in Lake Kivu and the Gulf of Kabuno”.
Goma, the capital of DRC’s north-eastern province of North Kivu, is home to two active volcanoes — Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo.
The Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupted on May 22, killing at least 32 people, according to the local government.
More on this: Residents return home as Nyiragongo lava flow stops
Also read: Death toll from volcanic eruption in DR Congo rises to 32
Fears of another eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano keep looming in the region. People were evacuated since Thursday from Goma and its surroundings to travel to areas designated by authorities as a precaution against the risk of another eruption.
The authorities relocated the majority of Goma’s residents to the city of Sake, about 26 km away from Goma, while some other residents chose to cross the border into Rwanda’s Gisenyi where the local government offers shelter for the affected people.
According to local media, seismic tremors are still perceptible in some areas of Goma. But the situation is relatively calm as some families evacuated begin returning to the city.