BELLEVUE, Wash. — While some within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are leaving their homes to flee a raging volcano, others in the DRC are being pushed out of their homes by violent militia groups.
The target of the violence appears to be the Banyamulenge tribe, a group of Congolese people who have lived in the region for hundreds of years. Even so, this Tutsi tribe is not recognized by the Congolese government.
In western Washington, a group of refugees have found a community at Bellevue Presbyterian Church. The church created a ministry which caters to their members who have come here from South Kivu Congo. One of the pastors is originally from Congo.
Pastor Alexis Ruhumuriza spent his formative years in Rwanda, but he was born in the DRC. When asked why he left, he responded, “[As] I grew up sometimes I knew they were going to come and kill us.”
Ruhumuriza studied for the ministry while in Rwanda before coming to the United States as a refugee in 2015. His family remains in Congo today.
“I live in Bellevue, I live in Seattle but I can tell you, I’m not sleeping. I am worried everyday,” said Ruhumuriza, while speaking to KING 5 Monday. “When I try to call my sister and don’t find on [the] phone, immediately, my mind say, she’s already died.”
That fear is shared by many Congolese refugees at Bellevue Presbyterian, according to Executive Pastor Scott Dudley. He recalled a tragic story that one of their church members experienced. “One man was talking to his brother on the phone - his brother’s in Congo - and while he was talking to his brother, his brother was shot and killed,” said Dudley.
Bellevue Presbyterian Church has been involved in ministry across East Africa since 2005. However, the ongoing violence and its impact on their church members is drawing the church to take their involvement to the next level. The church plans to send food and other goods to the region to be distributed to those who were forced from their homes.
Dudley said they also intend to initiate a long-term plan aimed at stopping the ongoing violence. He said the plan is for Bellevue Presbyterian to, “establish a center there - a reconciliation center - that brings together all the other tribes and helps them understand - in God - we can be reconciled.”
Dudley said a similar, successful tactic was used in Rwanda after the genocide in the 1990s. The church owns land in the region which will be used as a place for all tribes to learn how to co-exist.
There are reports that other groups are working to broker peace, however there is skepticism that it can be accomplished without involving a “higher power.”
Ruhumuriza said, “Based on my experience on who God is, for human beings, it’s impossible. But, according to God, I hope that peace and reconciliation can happen.”
Meanwhile, Ruhumuriza and Dudley are working to let people know about what is happening in South Kivu Congo. They believe the plight of the Banyamulenge tribe is lost in the daily shuffle of the news cycle.
For Dudley and the staff of Bellevue Presbyterian Church, using their faith as a way to broker peace is a top priority.
“One of our prayers here is, God, break our hearts for what breaks Yours,” said Dudley. “Clearly, this is breaking God’s heart.”