By PATRICK ILUNGA

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Kinshasa,

Rwanda has opened its borders to accommodate hundreds of people fleeing the city of Goma in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo following the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano.

Taken aback by this latest eruption of the volcano, the residents of Goma in North Kivu province began seeking refuge in Rwanda.

Two children walk as Goma residents leave the city on May 22, 2021 following a sudden activity of the Nyiragongo volcano. PHOTO | MOSES SAWASAWA | AFP

Vincent Karega, the Rwandan ambassador to DRC who is stationed in Kinshasa, confirmed that his country had welcomed those fleeing the volcanic eruption.

"The Rwandan borders are open and the reception of our neighbours is taking place peacefully. There was no blockage whatsoever but rather the organisation of coordinated entries," he said.

This general view taken on May 22, 2021 from Tchegera Island outside Goma on the Lake Kivu in the East of the DRC shows flame spewing from the Nyiragongo volcano. PHOTO | ALEX MILES | AFP

Accommodated in schools

Late Saturday evening, authorities in Rubavu district in Rwanda announced that the arrivals would be accommodated in schools and places of worship which had been prepared for this purpose.

No deaths have been reported following the volcanic eruption.

Flames spewing from the Nyiragongo volcano on May 22, 2021 in this general view taken from Tchegera Island outside Goma on Lake Kivu in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. PHOTO | ALEX MILES | AFP

Congolese authorities in Kinshasa said they had decided to activate "an evacuation plan" of the city of Goma.

Fearing the airport in Goma could be affected by the lava flow, the Minister for Transport Chérubin Okende ordered that planes parked there be evacuated to Kisangani in the northeast of the DRC.

The lava from the erupting mountain reached the DRC city's airport early Sunday, with an official from Virunga National Park — where the volcano is located — telling his staff: "the situation is deteriorating".

Congolese people at the border point known as "Petite Barriere" in Gisenyi, Rwanda, carry their belongings as they flee from Goma, DRC, on May 22, 2021 after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted. PHOTO | SIMON WOHLFAHRT | AFP

Tshisekedi returns

President Félix Tshisekedi, who has been in Europe since the beginning of the week, is expected back home Sunday.

Mr Tshisekedi is expected to supervise the coordination of aid to the populations of the areas threatened by the volcanic eruption, the presidency announced.

Earlier, as the volcano began lighting up, a smell of sulphur pervaded Goma city on the shores of Lake Kivu, according to an AFP correspondent.

A man carries a suitcase on his head as Congolese people flee from Goma, DRC, to Rwanda on May 22, 2021 after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted. PHOTO | SIMON WOHLFAHRT | AFP

Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu, has nearly 600,000 inhabitants spread across 12 districts.

The authorities' evacuation plan anticipates that two-thirds of them will go to Rwanda.

The previous major eruption of Nyiragongo dates back to January 17, 2002, when it killed more than 100 people. It covered almost the entire eastern part of Goma with lava, including half of the airport runway.

Additional reporting by AFP