Muslim youth moved from tent to tent in a displacement camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, carrying bags of rice, beans, fish, and gifts in celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
After Maysara Abdu, a 26-year-old Muslim displaced person, lost hope of celebrating Eid with her five children due to poverty, food aid arrived last week to change that reality. She said, "We were waiting for a miracle from God. We were waiting for His will to be fulfilled, and now look, they are bringing us food. We are happy, we thank God."
Francoise Mabinji, a Catholic Christian, received the same Eid gifts as her Muslim neighbor Maysara, stating, "Even we Christians benefited, and we thank them very much. May God bless them greatly."
More than a million people have been displaced due to the ongoing fighting between the March 23 Movement rebel group and government forces in North Kivu province since March 2022. In the Munigi camp located within the premises of a mosque near the city of Goma, hundreds live in temporary tents covered with carpets or plastic sheets to protect them from the rain.
In other areas of Congo, relations between Christians and Muslims have deteriorated following increased attacks by the Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces linked to the Islamic State (ISIS). However, in the Munigi camp, Muslims and Christians live side by side.
