Between Battles, the Soldiers Train… and Celebrate

Joseph Kay photo

Between Battles, the Soldiers Train … and Celebrate

Joseph Kay photographs a lull in battle in bloody eastern Congo

So the fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has stopped for now and representatives of the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group are talking in Kampala, Uganda.

Amid the calm, the Congolese army has been consolidating its positions, including those at les trois antennes, a hill north of Goma which had three telephone antennae on it … but now has only two because a mortar hit one.

The Congolese soldiers are keeping fit in Goma — a standard routine of exercise and training.

Joseph Kay photo

And local residents are celebrating the young fighters as guardian heroes. On Sept. 4, Col. Mamadou, the army’s operational commander, led his soldiers on a march through the city. Many people joined the soldiers, shouting praise and encouragement.