TIMES-NEWS
THE BIG STORY
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2019 |
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2019 |
magicvalley.com |
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SECTION E
PAT SUTPHIN PHOTOS, TIMES-NEWS
Samuel Mgbokpwo shares his story of fleeing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and becoming a refugee in Uganda, where he lived for 12 years, on April 13 at his home in Twin Falls.
Refugee life: Conflict in the Congo For persecuted pastor, coming to United States was ‘new beginning’ Story and photos by Pat Sutphin TWIN FALLS —The Democratic Republic of the Congo is as dynamic as it is dangerous. The land spans nearly 1.5 million miles, making the DRC the second largest country in Africa. Dense tropical rain forests, deserts, volcanoes and snowcapped mountains make up its diverse landscape. The Congo River, which stretches 2,920 miles, flows across the country and is believed to be the deepest river in the world. Several endangered and threatened species including white rhinos, bonobos, forest elephants and mountain gorillas call the Congo their home. The people who live there are as unique as the landscape they inhabit. More than 200 ethnic groups with distinct languages and cultures comprise its diverse inhabitants. But with diversity, there can often be dissent. Conflict in the Congo between 1998 and 2007 has claimed between 3 million and 5.4 million lives, according to an International Rescue Committee study. The Second Congo War — which spanned from 1998 to 2003 — was the deadliest dispute since World War II. For those who were born in the wrong tribe, speaking the wrong language as their native tongue, or even from the wrong side of the country, options were limited. Either they fled, or they became victims of the genocide of their nation. For Samuel Mgbokpwo and more than 800,000 citizens of his country, the choice was obvious. They decided to flee.
Homeless in the homeland Mgbokpwo’s crime was a connection he had no control over. His family hails from the same tribe as President Mobutu Sese Seko. When Mobutu re-
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REFUGEE SERIES
o Cong On his way back to Bukavu, he was stopped on the road by rebel soldiers. He spoke to them in Swahili, a language specific to the East side of the country, but the soldiers did not believe that he was from Goma. “The rebels can suspect you and shoot you,” Mgbokpwo said. In that moment, he believed they intended to shoot him. Mgbokpwo ran behind some buildings and eventually lost his pursuers, but the event was too close of a call for him to shake off. In that moment, Mgbokpwo realized he would never be safe in the DRC. “I just said I’m going,” he said. “If I die, I die.” With $16 in his pocket and no way of notifying his family, Mgbokpwo made his way to Bunagana, a small town that sits on the border of Uganda. He had no passport and no way of crossing the border. What he did have, however, was his faith. “...God has a way of saving his people,” Mgbokpwo said. With his Bible in hand, he tried to cross, but a border patrol agent pulled him into his office. The immigration official noticed that he was a man of God and offered to help.
Iran
Pastor Samuel Mgbokpwo preaches about forgiveness as he recites the story of when he was robbed of five years worth of wages while living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on April 21 during the First Church of the Nazarene’s Easter service at the CSI Fine Arts Auditorium in Twin Falls. linquished his power in 1997 to the rebel leader Laurent Kabila, those with any sort of connection to the president became instant targets. “When Mobutu was president, everything was peaceful,” Mgbokpwo said. “When they (the rebels) overthrew him, everything fell apart.” For years Mgbokpwo survived in a country of continuously growing turmoil. By 2002, he was living with his wife and son in Kisangani, the third-largest city in the country. Five years after Mobutu was overthrown, rebels were still actively hunting loyalists. That’s when they caught wind of Mgbokpwo, a pastor and leader in his Christian church. “I remember one day they sent 15 soldiers with all kinds of guns
to come and get me,” Mgbokpwo said. It was at that point he made the decision to leave the city he called home. With only enough money to buy himself a ticket on a cargo plane, Mgbokpwo was forced to leave his family behind. He fled to Goma, an urban hub on the Rwandan border, to live with his sister-in-law. Nine months later, his wife and son joined him. From there, the family bounced around the country. They lived briefly in Bukavu but were kicked out of their housing due to Mgbokpwo’s family heritage. “In our country there is a conflict between West and East,” he said. “The problem for me is I am from the West but I was born on the east side. I’ve never even been to the west side but my
father and mother are from the West.” This dissension between cultural groups made it difficult for Mgbokpwo’s family to stay in any place for very long. “If people hear you are from the West, they won’t even approach you,” he said. For two years, they lived on the run, homeless in their homeland.
Bridging the border
In 2004, a series of events occurred that altered Mgbokpwo’s life forever. His wife, Josephine Furaha, went to her mother’s village to hide with their son, Daniel Nzapalaha. Mgbokpwo made his way back to Goma to collect his teaching diploma, a necessity for him to be able to work in the schools.
NEXT MONTH: Refugee life: Myanmar by Chief Photographer Drew Nash
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