January 2026 Update

General News on Goma

M23 rebels still hold the city of Goma, despite the U.S.-brokered peace deal signed between D. R. Congo and Rwanda. They have set up a parallel government, and the city and its province is cut off from the rest of the country. Mariam reports that M23 forced closure of some refugee camps on the fringes of the city, sending even more people into Goma itself and creating more crowding. (For more on the invasion of Goma by M23, read our Recent History of Goma.)

Currently the city is struggling with:

• Malaria: the most common cause of death, especially among young children and pregnant women
• Malnutrition: Farming has been unable to go forward as usual because of the unrest, leading to food shortages
• Cholera: Overcrowding is leading to poor sanitation, and safe drinking water continues to be a problem
• Other diseases, including respiratory infections, severe diarrhea, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS

Clementine Bahati (who CMMC is named for and one of the founders), a registered nurse living now in Denmark, summarizes the situation this way: “These diseases represent a major humanitarian emergency requiring rapid interventions in health care, nutrition, water, and sanitation.”

Centre Medicale Maman Clementine

CMMC continues to provide urgently needed medical care, focusing first on displaced pregnant women and their babies, helping them achieve safe deliveries by providing medical care and food. They also provide care for other medical issues, including illness such as malaria and cholera. International donations have successfully reached CMMC, allowing them to purchase extra food and medicines.

Mobile Clinic

Clementine also shared, “The mobile clinic is working to care for malnourished children, whom we support in the Nyiragongo and Masisi territories through the mobile clinic service. This program helps us reach vulnerable communities. The mobile clinic service travels to Nyiragongo at least once a month, bringing medicines and food to support children as well as pregnant women.”

Watoto Kwa Babu Orphanage

Currently there are 44 children living in the orphanage.