Nyabibwe in the background. The city is the capital of the groupement Mbinga Nord. It is now known for the large number of displaced people that fled from the Haut Plateau and - because of many casserite mines nearby - for the miners, prostitutes and soldiers. It's a bit the Sodom and Gomorrah of the territory Kalehe.
We stayed over with a friend of a friend who is a miner for casserite in a mine nearby Nyabibwe (his house in the picture above). We already visited him and Nyabibwe a few days earlier and after a lot of paperwork and the necessary approvals by the SEASCAM (Congo's ministry of mining. We promised we were no journalists and we would make no pictures), the local authorities (we knew them well after working in the area for two weeks so no problems here) and the owners of the mine (it is a cooperative, and the friend of a friend helped here), I visited a casserite mine. Ha! Unfortunately no pictures.
Because of the large number of displaced people the UNHCR is very much present in Nyabibwe. The photo shows a repatriation camp. Refugees from Rwanda (especially Hutu) who decide that they want to return home go here. They then stay several nights in this camp until the UNHCR picks them up by truck and brings them to Rwanda.
It is always nice to see how the presence of UN organizations spills over in other domains. Here a primary school in Nyabibwe is using a UNHCR plastic cover as ceiling cover.
I know childish but fun. Of these three shops in Nyabibwe only one is called "The Light" (the shop in the middle). It was also only this shop where the light did not work. :)
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