In One Image After the Fight By Guerchom Ndebo and Eric Nagourney
Goma is no stranger to burying its dead. But nothing could have prepared it for this.
In one recent week alone, nearly 3,000 people were killed as rebels swept across the Congolese city. Body bags were rushed in.
The fighting in Goma has stopped, but the dying may not be over. With diseases breaking out, those handling the dead donned protective gear — even if some had only sandals for their feet.
Red Cross workers treated the sick and the wounded, and buried those who died.
In an already overcrowded cemetery, workers dug into the dark, volcanic soil to make room for the newly dead.
Striving to treat the dead with dignity, the workers give each body its own marker.
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Congo Buries Its Dead After Rebel Assault
It was one of the deadliest battles in decades in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After the city of Goma fell to a rebel group known as M23 last week, the International Red Cross said that civilians had paid a heavy price, and that the death toll was expected to go up as more bodies were found.
With the rebels said to be getting backing from another Central African county, Rwanda — the Rwandans deny this — there was fear that the conflict could grow into a broader war among the neighboring countries and their allies.
Millions have died in the past 30 years in Congo amid ethnic tensions and disputes over access to land and mineral resources. But rarely have so many been killed within just a few days, experts told Elian Peltier, a New York Times correspondent who traveled to Goma.
