Here is an entry from Mercy Corps' writer, Roger Burks:
Goma is proof that appearances can be deceiving.This morning, we rode along winding mountain roads past bustling villages in Rwanda to reach the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. There we caught our first glimpses of Lake Kivu, one of Africa's biggest - and, at nearly 5,000 feet elevation, highest - lakes. The entire body of water is skirted with lush green forest, some spectacular houses and flowers that are too beautiful to be believed.Yet below the lake's placid waters there are deadly methane and carbon dioxide gases in quantities that will, one day, explode to the surface and displace oxygen across the entire area. The timetable for this event is unknown - but it will be catastrophic for the more than two million people who live within the lake's basin.Lake Kivu is almost too fitting a metaphor for this part of eastern Congo, where nearby perils threaten the area and its people almost constantly. The prolific vegetation throughout Goma conceals jagged pieces of lava rock, hiding the scars of a volcanic eruption that nearly destroyed the city just six years ago. Rebel forces lurk in pristine rainforests. And all along the outskirts of the city, tens of thousands of war-displaced families huddle in whatever shelters they can construct from natural and donated materials - hoping to return to their villages but waiting for the next catastrophe.As I type this, I'm listening to boisterous Congolese music coming from a nearby bar. Someone is having a birthday party. People are singing along, whistling, whooping and hollering.There is some cause for celebration: news of a truce between one of the main rebel groups and the Congolese government. It was agreed upon right here in Goma just yesterday. There is skepticism. People don't quite know what it might mean - I will try to find out more tomorrow and let you know.For now, though, there is music in Goma amongst the dangers hidden in one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. 
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