(OSV News) — Catholic schoolchildren in eastern Congo gathered with candles Sept. 17 at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Bukavu to mourn 27 classmates killed in a fire that devastated homes and schools across the city.
On Sept. 10, a series of devastating fires hit three areas in the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in eastern Congo, reducing nearly 500 homes to rubble, and rendering at least 2000 people homeless.
During Mass in memory of the victims, provincial coordinator of Catholic state-subsidized schools of the Archdiocese of Bukavu, Father Patrice Mukata Bayongwa told the mourning students that despite their grief, they still need to keep their faith and hope alive.
In the Christian faith, he said, death is regarded as a birth into eternal life.
“Death plunges us into silence because we will no longer see our loved ones. We mourn their absence, but let us not forget that God is present,” he said.
Children involved in many pastoral activities
Benjamin Mukanire, a Catholic communicator who covered the event, told OSV News that most of the children who were attending the Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools were involved in pastoral activities.
“They took part in the children’s pastoral activities organized by Kizito and Anuarite, the ‘Angels of Heaven’ group and the children’s choir,” he said.
Solange Nzigire, mother to a 9-year-old girl who lost her life in the incident, said it won’t be easy to ever forget the loss.
“She told me ‘Goodbye mama, I am going to school,'” Hamanie News quoted her as saying.
All 27 victims were buried Sept. 14 at the Ruzizi Cemetery in the presence of family members, friends, M23 officials as well as officials of the Red Cross. Video footage of the burial shows numerous coffins being lowered into the bare earth.
Blame falls on government authorities for tragedy
Catholic leaders in the country have expressed heartbreak at the loss and blamed authorities for failing to preempt such disasters.
“Faced with the death of these children, the first Christian response is one of silence, compassion and prayer,” said Sister Aimée Musenga, communications officer for the Congolese bishops’ conference.
“The Christian faith does not seek to provide an immediate explanation for such unjust suffering. Rather, it invites us to stand alongside those who are suffering, just as Christ stood alongside a wounded humanity,” she told OSV News.
“These children are not merely victims of a fire: They are shattered lives, stories that were never able to unfold, hopes snatched away from their loved ones,” she said.
Comboni Missionary Father Kasereka Amini Wasingya, a Congolese theologian, said the Church is doing everything to bring respite to the bereaved families.
Church standing by ‘these bereaved families’
“Through the services of both the diocesan and national Caritas organizations, the Church is doing its utmost to stand by these bereaved families. Above all, it prays for peace and territorial integrity in our country so that it may continue to fulfil its prophetic mission of watching over the well-being of all God’s people,” he told OSV News.
He then blamed the authorities for failing to build a culture of prevention.
“These children are victims of the irresponsibility of the relevant authorities, who ought to put in place infrastructure befitting a state governed by the rule of law that cares for the education of its young citizens, the future leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
Both Church leaders blamed the government for failing to put in place the needed preventive mechanisms that should either prevent such catastrophes in future, or at least mitigate the effects.
Schools ‘must ensure’ minimum safety standards
“Schools must ensure minimum safety standards: clear evacuation routes, emergency exits, fire prevention and fire-fighting equipment, as well as staff training accompanied by regular drills so that pupils know how to react in an emergency,” said Sister Aimée.
She urged the government to establish a “genuine culture of prevention” and not only intervene when disaster strikes.
“A responsible society must anticipate dangers and put in place measures capable of protecting human lives,” she told OSVNews.
The recent tragedy compounds an already tenuous humanitarian crisis caused by decades of violence. Bukavu has been controlled by the Rwanda-backed rebel group, M23, since February 2025.
More than 100 armed groups are aiming to control the region in which critical minerals for the technology world are being extracted.
Ngala Killian Chimtom writes for OSV News from Yaounde, Cameroon.
