War Displaced Persons Facing the Risks Associated with Mazuku In and Around the Goma City

The town of Goma, located to the north of Lake Kivu and to the south of our two active volcanoes, Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira, is criss-crossed by fractures stretching out to around 15 km, emitting volcanic gases including carbon dioxide (CO2), known locally as mazuku.The word "mazuku" means "evil wind" in the local language.It refers to depressions where carbon dioxide, heavier than air, is released and accumulates in lethal concentrations.Mazuku are abundant in the city of Goma, in the Kyeshero and Lac-Vert districts on the one hand, and in the Kamuronza group on the other, mainly in the town of Sake, and the localities of Mubambiro and Nzulo on the north shore of Lake Kivu, close to networks of fissures.Generally speaking, the depressions that allow CO2 to accumulate are created by the superposition of lava flows or collapsed cavities, or are directly associated with open fractures.The repeated wars in the eastern part of our country are forcing internally displaced populations to occupy high-risk areas, i.e. areas where mazuku are concentrated, resulting in the loss of human lives.Hardly a year goes by without the death of people, wild and domestic animals.The mazuku are currently an unparalleled natural hazard and the most significant in terms of loss of human life in the city of Goma and the surrounding area, which gives us a particular motivation to carry out research, to identify, map and monitor the mazuku more systematically in the Bulengo and Nzulo camps for displaced people, and to implement appropriate risk management.