The UN said on Sunday that about 416,000 people in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had been displaced by a volcanic eruption.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report that the gradual return of residents who had left after the May 27 evacuation order was continuing.
Sunday services are held in several churches in different neighborhoods, including in the red zone. According to the OCHA, activities in Goma are gradually recovering, and several shops have opened in some parts of the city.
Lieutenant General Constant Ndima Kongba, governor of North Kivu province, visited internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Saku on Saturday. He asked them to be patient about their return to Goma.
He also assured them that the authorities were working closely with foreign experts and the Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG) on a solution that could lead to a sustainable return of the population to Goma.
Julien Paluku, the Minister of Industry and former Governor of North Kivu, has been in Goma since May 24 to monitor the eruption situation and liaise between the central and provincial governments and the OVG, according to the OCHA.
A volcano on Mount Nyiragongo erupted on May 22, and a stream of lava moved east toward neighboring Rwanda, killing more than 30 people and causing enormous damage and property damage.
OVG also warned that the risk of a new eruption was real.
At least 250 people were killed in the 2002 Niragongo eruption, and more than 120,000 people were left homeless due to lava flowing into Goma.