Timeline of Goma

Last updated June 01, 2025

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

19th century

1890s - Goma occupied by agents of the Congo Free State as a trading post to control traffic on Lake Kivu; previously a way point for lake traffic and a crossroads for the overland trade routes between Central Africa and the Indian Ocean.

20th century

1910 - Goma confirmed as a Belgian possession in the Convention on the Lakes signed in Brussels on 14 May 1910 by plenipotentiaries of Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain.^[1]
1925 - Albert National Park established near Goma.
1959 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Goma founded.^[2]
1962 - Benezeth Moley becomes governor.^(fr)
1984 - Population: 77,908.^[3]
1988 - Goma becomes part of newly formed North Kivu province.^{[ citation needed ]}
1993 - University of Goma established.
1994
- Population: 161,956.^[4]
- July: 850,000 Rwandan war refugees flee to Goma.^[4]^[5]
1996 - 2 November: Goma taken by Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo.^[5]
1998 - 2 August: City taken by forces of Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma.^[4]
2000
- Yole!Africa cultural centre established.^[6]
- Eugène Serufuli Ngayabaseka becomes governor of North Kivu province.^(fr)

21st century

2002 - January: Mount Nyiragongo erupts, destroys nearly half of city structures.^[7]
2004 - Population: 249,862 (estimate).^[3]
2006
- Institut supérieur de statistique et de nouvelles technologies de Goma [ fr ] (school) founded.
- Salaam Kivu International Film Festival begins.^[6]
2007
- "New military operations centre for the FARDC" established.^[8]
- Julien Paluku Kahongya becomes governor of North Kivu province.
2008
- January: International peace conference held in Goma.^[9]
- 15 April: Airplane crash occurs.
- October: "Chaos grips...Goma as rebel forces advance."^[7]
2009
- August: US secretary of state visits Goma.^[7]
- Roger Rachid Tumbala becomes mayor (approximate date).^[chronology citation needed ]
2011 - Jean Busanga Malihaseme appointed mayor.^[10]
2012
- July: Battle of Goma (2012) [ fr ] begins.
- 20 November: M23 forces take Goma.^[7]
- 12 December: Prison break.^[4]
- Kubuya Ndoole Naso becomes mayor.^[11]
2013

- February: The first annual Amani Festival for peace takes place.
- 4 March: Airplane crash occurs.
- August: Heavy fighting occurs outside Goma during the M23 rebellion.
2015
- January: 2015 Congolese protests.
- June: Airport taken by "Mai-Mai fighters."^[12]
- Dieudonné Malere becomes mayor.^[13]
- Population: 368,165 (estimate).^[4]
2016 - November: United Nations forces attacked by bomb.^[14]
2022 - Festival Amani returns after a year's absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[15]
2025
- January: Battle of Goma.

References

↑ Bulletin de la Société de géographie et d'études coloniales de Marseille, 1910, p. 138
↑ "Democratic Republic of the Congo". Chronology of Catholic Dioceses. Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo . Retrieved 19 October 2017.
1 2 "Kongo (Dem. Rep.): Städte". Citypopulation.de (in German). Oldenburg, Germany: Thomas Brinkhoff. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
1 2 3 4 5 Emizet Francois Kisangani (2016). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442273160.
1 2 "Democratic Republic of the Congo". Political Chronology of Africa. Political Chronologies of the World. Europa Publications. 2001. pp. 100–113. ISBN 0203409957.
1 2 Gesthuizen 2013.
1 2 3 4 "Democratic Republic of Congo Profile: Timeline". BBC News. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
↑ Denis M. Tull (2008). "Democratic Republic of the Congo". In Andreas Mehler; et al. (eds.). Africa Yearbook: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara in 2007. Vol. 4. Koninklijke Brill. pp. 239–254. ISBN 978-9004168053. ISSN 1871-2525.
↑ "RD Congo: Chronologie". Jeuneafrique.com (in French). Paris. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
↑ "Adolphe Lumanu Nomme Un Nouveau Maire À La Tête La Ville De Goma Au Nord-Kivu", Lecongolais.cd [ no ] (in French), 30 September 2011
↑ "RDC : le maire de Goma accuse le M23 de causer l'insécurité dans la périphérie de sa ville", Radiookapi.net (in French), DR Congo, 27 January 2013
↑ Gunmen attack airport in eastern Congo, seven dead, Reuters, 2 June 2015
↑ "Dieudonné Malere nommé maire de Goma", Radiookapi.net (in French), 30 August 2015
↑ Bomb attack kills child, wounds 32 Indian peacekeepers in east Congo: U.N., Reuters, 8 November 2016
↑ "Le Festival Amani à Goma - Du 4 au 6 février 2022". amanifestival.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.

Bibliography

Didier Bompangue; et al. (2009). "Cholera Epidemics, War and Disasters around Goma and Lake Kivu: An Eight-Year Survey". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases . 3 (5): e436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000436 . PMC 2677153 . PMID 19436726.
Koen Vlassenroot; Karen Büscher (2009), City as frontier: urban development and identity processes in Goma, Crisis States Research Centre working papers, Crisis States Research Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, ISSN 1749-1800
Karen Büscher (2011). Conflict, state failure and urban transformation in the Eastern Congolese periphery: the case of Goma (PhD). Belgium: Ghent University. hdl:1854/LU-2092391.
Thomas Gesthuizen (13 March 2013), "Congo's hidden cultural hub", The Guardian, UK

External links

"(Goma)". Internet Library Sub-Saharan Africa . Germany: Frankfurt University Library. 15 January 2019. (Bibliography)
"(Goma)". Contemporary History Library Catalogue. Belgium: Royal Museum for Central Africa. (Bibliography)
Items related to Goma, various dates (via Europeana)
Items related to Goma, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)

Images

Map of Goma, 1982
Refugee camp near Goma, 1994
M-23 crisis in Goma, 2012
MONUSCO training, 2013
Boulevard Kanyamahanga traffic circle, Goma, 2013
View of Goma, 2015
View of Goma, 2015

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Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Bulletin de la Société de géographie et d'études coloniales de Marseille, 1910, p. 138

[2] "Democratic Republic of the Congo". Chronology of Catholic Dioceses. Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo . Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[Brinkhoff-3] 1 2 "Kongo (Dem. Rep.): Städte". Citypopulation.de (in German). Oldenburg, Germany: Thomas Brinkhoff. Retrieved 20 October 2017.

[Kisangani2016-4] 1 2 3 4 5 Emizet Francois Kisangani (2016). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442273160.

[Europa2001-5] 1 2 "Democratic Republic of the Congo". Political Chronology of Africa. Political Chronologies of the World. Europa Publications. 2001. pp. 100–113. ISBN 0203409957.

[FOOTNOTEGesthuizen2013-6] 1 2 Gesthuizen 2013.

[bbc-timeline-7] 1 2 3 4 "Democratic Republic of Congo Profile: Timeline". BBC News. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[8] Denis M. Tull (2008). "Democratic Republic of the Congo". In Andreas Mehler; et al. (eds.). Africa Yearbook: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara in 2007. Vol. 4. Koninklijke Brill. pp. 239–254. ISBN 978-9004168053. ISSN 1871-2525.

[9] "RD Congo: Chronologie". Jeuneafrique.com (in French). Paris. Retrieved 20 October 2017.

[10] "Adolphe Lumanu Nomme Un Nouveau Maire À La Tête La Ville De Goma Au Nord-Kivu", Lecongolais.cd [ no ] (in French), 30 September 2011

[11] "RDC : le maire de Goma accuse le M23 de causer l'insécurité dans la périphérie de sa ville", Radiookapi.net (in French), DR Congo, 27 January 2013

[12] Gunmen attack airport in eastern Congo, seven dead, Reuters, 2 June 2015

[13] "Dieudonné Malere nommé maire de Goma", Radiookapi.net (in French), 30 August 2015

[14] Bomb attack kills child, wounds 32 Indian peacekeepers in east Congo: U.N., Reuters, 8 November 2016

[15] "Le Festival Amani à Goma - Du 4 au 6 février 2022". amanifestival.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.

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v t e Years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Congo Free State	1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908
Belgian Congo	1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960
Republic of Congo	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
Zaire	1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
DR Congo	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

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