BJ Deming

Nyamulagira/Nyiragongo, 2024/2025 (Oct. 7, 2025, 1349 UTC)

Updates

In the top image, from 2015, that’s Nyamulagira (sometimes spelled Nyamuragira) on the left (north) and Decade Volcano Nyiragongo on the right, near Lake Kivu and the city of Goma on the lake’s shore.

What the satellite can’t show you are the estimated 164,000 Congolese refugees (as of April 2024) — mostly women, children, and the elderly — camped in between the lake and the volcanoes.

The bottom image, from October 21, 2024, taken with Goma in between, shows dense gas plumes rising from both volcanoes.

🌋🌋🌋

Nyamulagira:

  • Aviation code: Orange
  • Global Volcanism Program page
  • Toulouse VAAC page

Nyiragongo:

  • Aviation code: Yellow
  • Global Volcanism Program page
  • Toulouse VAAC page

Goma Volcano Observatory bulletin

🌋🌋🌋

Updates

October 7, 2025, 6:49 a.m., Pacific: TROPOMI SO2 keeps tweeting notices of sulfur dioxide emissions, but there hasn’t been any news other than this September GVP report on Nyamulagira:

The eruption at Nyamulagira continued during 3-18 September. Incandescence on the floor of the summit caldera and from active lava flows on the W and NW flanks was visible in satellite images on 3, 8, 13, and 18 September. Weather clouds obscured parts of the summit area and the flanks in all four images.

Source: Copernicus

The sociopolitical situation remains unsettled and we probably aren’t going to get field reports any time soon, unless lava has already begun to flow in or towards populated areas. Sigh.

September 12, 2025, 1:09 p.m., Pacific: There are still no official updates on either volcano, but TROPOMI keeps reporting detection of respectable amounts of sulfur dioxide, mostly at Nyamulagira. Both volcanoes might be hosting lava lakes. I’m curious as to how high Nyiragongo’s is now. It’s probably life-threatening for anyone to venture out into the field still.

July 24, 2024, 7:54 a.m., Pacific: All I have are TROPOMI SO2 updates, detecting sulfur dioxide emission, and this seems to be ongoing at fairly high intensity at both volcanoes.

June 18, 2025, 10:45 p.m., Pacific: Only social news this time –fingers crossed:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

TROPOMI SO2 continues to detect respectable amounts of sulfur emissions from both volcanoes.

It would be nice if DRC and Rwanda could include volcano monitoring as a neutral “common-ground” peace initiative, given the high-stakes volcanic risks here in this border area from Nyiragongo and Lake Kivu (overturn potential) — BEFORE tragedy occurs.

June 13, 2025, 10:47 a.m., Pacific: No major changes; an update from the GVP:

Most Recent Weekly Report: 4 June-10 June 2025

A satellite image acquired on 10 June showed continuing eruptive activity at Nyamulagira. Bright thermal anomalies indicated continuing activity at the summit crater and active lava flows on the W and NW flanks, though weather clouds obscured views. A thermal anomaly at the possible end of a lava flow on the NW flank was about 3.3 km from the crater rim.

I’m pretty sure this is staying in the park.

No news found on Nyiragongo, but its lava lake is probably still bubbling away. The question: Is it rising toward the fracture areas, and if so, how far does it have to go?

Going up for a look and some measurements is probably suicidal, in the currently unstable social situation.

May 24, 2025, 5:10 p.m., Pacific: GVP has no updates yet on either volcano, but eruptions continue. This TROPOMI update on SO2 detection, tweeted about an hour ago, is just the most recent of many:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Meanwhile, Goma is still the epicenter of trouble in social and political terms.

May 12, 2025, 5:49 p.m., Pacific: Per the Global Volcanism program Nyalmulagira page:

Recent Weekly Report: 30 April-6 May 2025

Satellite images acquired on 21 and 26 April and on 1 May showed continuing activity at Nyamulagira. Though weather clouds particularly obscured the summit area in all three scenes, bright thermal anomalies indicated continuing activity at the summit crater and active lava flows on the W flank.

— Copernicus

They haven’t updated their Nyiragongo page (the more dangerous of the two, now that it has a lava lake again) since July 2024.

However, TROPOMI repeatedly picks up SO2 emissions from the area of the two volcanoes, including this one today:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Via ReliefWeb in a May 9 report on the whole DRC (Goma and other towns are in North Kivu):

• Despite the ceasefire declaration, hostilities have continued in recent days across multiple territories in North and South Kivu. The presence of armed groups continues to contribute to widespread human rights violations against civilians.

• UNHCR and 107 partners are appealing for additional support to assist over 1 million Congolese refugees and host communities across seven countries in 2025.

❤❤❤

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

May 3, 2025, 2:10 p.m., Pacific: Per Volcano Discovery:

The effusive eruption at the volcano started to increase.

The latest Sentinel-2 thermal imagery acquisition from May 1 revealed that the lava from the active lava lake overflowed the caldera rim and travels along the western flank in two branches, currently about 2,5-3 km long.

They have a nice satellite image.

As far as this layperson knows, Nyamulagira’s lava should stay in Virginia Park.

Nyiragongo, with its lava lake and fractured walls, is the more dangerous of the two, and it has been a long time since I saw an update on it.

The social situation in the area is still bad.

April 15, 2025, 3:06 a.m., Pacific: This is the strongest SO2 signal that I’ve seen here in the recent TROPOMI tweets —

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

There isn’t any recent volcano news coming up in an online search, though apparently partisan groups are fighting in the area and M23 still controls Goma.

March 29, 2025, 7:20 p.m., Pacific: TROPOMI keeps picking up fairly large SO2 emissions, and the Global Volcanism Program is doing monthly activity reports on Nyamulagira. Here is the most recent:

Most Recent Weekly Report: 19 March-25 March 2025

Satellite images acquired on 17 and 22 March showed continuing activity at Nyamuragira. A bright thermal anomaly just NE of the central part of the summit crater was visible in both images, along with surrounding elevated temperatures on the E half of the crater floor, likely from lava flows. Although weather and volcanic gas plumes obscured most of the W flank, a small incandescent spot from an active lava flow on the upper W flank was visible in the 17 March image.

Source: Copernicus

Goma and Bukavu are still in M23 hands, and bad things are happening, per what little media coverage gets out, but the AP reported today that the rebels will repair Goma’s airport to facilitate some cease-fire troop withdrawals.

So, with that, if Nyiragongo does cut loose, maybe some foreign aid can get in.

The Goma Observatory online account still appears to be suspended, and I doubt that fieldwork is possible or that any of its remote monitoring tech is intact.

Sigh.

March 8, 2025, 8:21 p.m., Pacific: Woo-hoo! Some volcanologists in Goma are okay and the observatory (OVG) is operating:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

X translation:

“Very beautiful day of March 8, 2024, spent with students from École Les Jourdains, a class mostly composed of girls; with whom we had enriching exchanges about the volcanism of Virunga and the volcanic risks in the Goma region. 1/2”

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

X translation: “We also presented our various monitoring techniques for the Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes. All of this took place at the Volcano Information Center (CIV) of the OVG, open to the public from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.”

February 24, 2025, 9:08 p.m., Pacific: At first, the tweeted news sounded good:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

X translation: “Nearly all the sites and collective centers for displaced people in and around #Goma have been dismantled and emptied of their occupants.

Humanitarian partners are conducting needs assessments in the return zones in North Kivu.

More info:
➡️https://t.co/q4Ovs7zwdK”

But then I was able to translate the report at Online Doc Translator and learned:

  • It was an eviction forced by threats against the refugees (IDP), carried out as humanely as possible, but carried out.
  • Only some of the refugees got out from under the volcanoes. Many are still in the Goma area.
  • Things are really bad, though humanitarians are still at it.

As you read the translation, think of Nyiragongo’s two eruptions thus far this century, and the lava lake still up there — presumably; I haven’t seen any recent reports on Nyiragongo but TROPOMI regularly detects SO2 in the area and it might not all be coming from the nearby Nyamulagira eruption (which was ongoing as of February 11, per satellite observations quoted by the GVP) — the lava lake at Nyiragongo rising toward the wall cracks that opened in those two eruptions and let lava race down the slopes into Goma and, in spots, into shallow levels of Lake Kivu (above that lake’s explosive gas field, which probably will blow if another dike intrusion under the lake, like the one in the last eruption, reaches the surface this time and erupts through the lake bed).

This is the current state of humanity under the volcanoes:

This report is produced by OCHA DRC in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 10 to 22 February 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

• Precarious calm in Bukavu in South Kivu, after the control of the city by the M23

• Massive return of displaced persons to the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru and
Nyiragongo in North Kivu

• Cholera outbreak among refugees in MONUSCO camp in Goma

NORTH KIVU
SITUATION OVERVIEW

The security situation in the city of Goma and its outlying areas remains worrying. An increase in criminal acts, including home invasions, thefts and assaults, has been observed, fueling a climate of fear among civilians.

Targeted assassinations have also been reported. In addition, several vehicles belonging to individuals and humanitarian organizations, seized by armed actors, have still not been returned.

Humanitarian sources report a persistent threat of explosive devices of war in Goma and its outlying areas. On 9 February, two children were injured by grenade explosions in the Bujovu neighborhood of Goma.

In terms of health, the six main hospitals in Goma, supported by humanitarian partners, are still overwhelmed by the influx of wounded. As of February 14, 3,082 wounded and 842 deaths have been recorded in the health zones of Goma, Karisimbi and Nyiragongo. These medical facilities now fear an
imminent shortage of medicines. The Goma Military Hospital, for its part, does not have the capacity to treat the seriously wounded. According to an assessment carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from February 19 to 20, 34 out of 47 health facilities assessed in North Kivu have been impacted by the
violence.

In addition, suspected cases of cholera have been reported within the MONUSCO camp in Goma, where many FARDC2 unarmed people have taken refuge. To date, one death due to cholera has been recorded,
while 24 suspected cases are being treated. Rapid screening tests have confirmed three cases among them. Further diagnosis is underway.

In response to this potential outbreak, WHO has implemented response measures. These include the isolation and treatment of affected people, as well as the distribution of water, hygiene and sanitation kits to camp occupants. The health cluster has warned of a worsening of the cholera epidemic in and around Goma, with 420 cases and 1 death reported over two consecutive weeks (February 3 to 15), or more than a third of the 1,280 cases of cholera recorded throughout the province of North Kivu since the beginning of the year.

In terms of food security, the hostilities in Goma and Nyiragongo territory have severely impacted several critical infrastructures, exacerbating food insecurity. The supply chain has been severely disrupted, breaking links between producers, markets and consumers. This has led to soaring prices, shortages of basic commodities and currency depreciation on the local market. In addition, at least 3,000 metric tons of WFP food were looted from a warehouse in Goma, compromising the availability of food for the emergency food response.

Banks and microfinance institutions remain inoperative, limiting commercial transactions. In addition, the stock shortages inherent in the situation encourage speculation in businesses.

In the education sector, armed clashes from 26 to 30 January 2025 damaged or destroyed at least 80 schools in the city of Goma and in Nyiragongo territory. This situation deprives thousands of children of access to education. UNICEF4 estimates that more than 795,000 children no longer have access to educationin North Kivu because of this conflict.

Due to threats to IDPs to force them to evacuate sites in and around Goma, almost all IDP sites and collective centres on the Goma-Kanyaruchinya axis, as well as Goma-Sake, have been dismantled and emptied of their occupants. Humanitarian partners have reported acts of vandalism and looting of humanitarian infrastructure by IDPs and indigenous populations at several sites, including shelters, health centres, water facilities, child-friendly spaces, temporary learning spaces and safe spaces. To prevent significant losses, some humanitarian organisations have dismantled their remaining facilities at these sites.

According to assessments carried out between 19 and 21 February by the IDP Camp and Site Management Cluster (CCCM), almost all of the remaining IDP sites in and around Goma have been dismantled and the occupants forced to move again. Some have reportedly returned to their original locations, while others have remained in Goma and surrounding areas.
In addition, these dismantling of displaced persons sites led to the creation of nine new collective centres,
accommodating approximately 5,500 people (1,086 households). On the other hand, 15 former collective centres, mainly schools, were emptied of their occupants due to the resumption of school activities. According to the CCCM, 30 collective centres are still in operation and are said to be accommodating more than 12,000 displaced persons (2,564 households). According to the EHA Cluster5, this unplanned dismantling also poses a significant challenge in terms of sanitation and deconditioning of latrine pits as well as uninstallation of drinking water supply equipment.

Between 12 and 14 February, around twenty NGOs carried out an assessment mission in the return areas in three health areas on the Kibumba – Buhumba axis in the Nyiragongo territory. These include the health areas of Kingarame and Kasizi, in the Kibumba and Buhumba Grouping. The report indicates that nearly 90% of the displaced persons from these areas have returned. The report also notes a return to normal in community life and a gradual resumption of socio-economic activities.

In addition, several returnee families, estimated at around 44%, found their fields occupied and worked by people from elsewhere, including members of armed groups. At least 10% of returnees found their homes occupied by other people; still others found their homes completely destroyed. This situation
highlights the risks of land conflicts or community tensions in the short term.
The report also highlights the destruction and looting of almost all basic infrastructure (health centers
and the majority of schools). The Central Office of the Health Zone (BCZ) and several other administrations were completely looted and destroyed. From February 19 to 20, a joint assessment
mission of health partners carried out in the health areas of Kaduki and Kibumba in the territory of Nyiragongo, reported more than 51,000 returnees and an increased need for maternal health and many cases of home births. The Kibumba Hospital is destroyed and the health offer is almost non-existent in
the return areas, reports the mission.

Humanitarian partners are considering a synergy of WASH-HealthNutrition actors for an in-depth needs assessment in the return areas from February 24.

Assessment teams in Rutshuru territory (Kiwanja – Kalengera – Rugari – Kisigari axis) also confirmed the presence of at least 87,000 displaced persons who have arrived since 29 January in the localities of Rugari, Kisigari, Kalengera, Kako, Rubare, Kiwanja, and in the Bukoma groupement. Basic services are almost non-existent in these areas; primary schools are running at a slow pace and secondary schools are almost at a standstill. Returnees are in critical need of access to food, while waiting to be able to resume agricultural activities.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSES

Health

WHO6 nd UNICEF provided medicines and medical supplies to health facilities in the city of Goma. WHO also deployed six ambulances and continues to provide 274 m³ of drinking water per day to health
facilities.

The ICRC7 continues to treat seriously injured people at Ndosho hospital.

Since February 10, MSF8 increased the capacity of Kyeshero hospital from 49 to 80 beds, with 63 patients hospitalized as of February 13, as part of the treatment of seriously injured patients.
UNFPA9 ontinues its support for mobile clinics in displaced persons sites, with 28 midwives deployed for the triage and care of pregnant women.

The NGO Save The Children continues to support the health centers of Mugunga and Don Bosco. It also referred seven injured people to the Virunga hospital.

The NGO ALIMA deployed an ambulance to refer the injured from the Katindo military hospital to the HEAL Africa hospital. As of February 13, the NGO had already referred 70 injured people.

Between 1erand on February 15, the NGO IMC10 provided health care to 775 patients and transferred 24 patients to specialized facilities, thanks to two mobile medical units deployed in the Baraka and Resurrection health areas in Goma. However, the minimal functioning of local health facilities seriously
compromises the continuity of care for patients treated in these mobile clinics.

Protection

The NGO BIFERD11 identified 18 unaccompanied and separated children, and successfully reunified 11 children with their families in the health zones of Karisimbi (Goma) and Kirotshe (Masisi territory).

Between 10 and 14 February, the NGO ACAD set up three listening points for the psychological support of returnees. It also ensured the family reunification of 26 separated children in Shasha, Bweremana and Sake in the Masisi territory.

From February 11 to 13, the NGO Waza and Act provided psychological support to two victims of sexual violence in the city of Goma.

Water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH)

Between 10 and 16 February, EHA cluster partners focused their priority activities on providing drinking
water and improving health conditions through sanitation and hygiene services.

Regarding water supply:
• The ICRC provided 6,000 litres of fuel to drinking water operators (Yme Jibu and REGIDESO) to ensure the functioning of the water systems during this period.
• MSF repaired the drinking water network in Kirotshe and donated a kit for its maintenance
• Oxfam provided 420 m³ of drinking water daily to the Buhimba, Rusayo and Lushagala sites.
• NRC ensured the supply of 120 m³ of water per day to the Rusayo site via water trucking

To reduce the consumption of contaminated water by occupants of displacement sites and in host communities in Goma, at least 113 water chlorination points have been installed by various partners.

The NGO Tearfund has raised awareness among around 3,900 households living in collective centres around Goma on good hygiene practices.

COORDINATION

In North Kivu, OCHA and cluster leaders have conducted an assessment of existing capacities, following the looting of warehouses in the city of Goma. It is estimated that available capacities can cover less than 30% of current needs, depending on the cluster concerned. The clusters most seriously affected by the
current situation are: Health, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH), Education, Food Security, Protection

…

The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to coordinate the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises.

We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action, by all and for all.
http://www.unocha.org

I know. I felt overwhelmed by the Rwanda genocide crisis in the 1990s and all the misery the media was showing us. But people cared because of that coverage and somehow that humanitarian crisis ended.

What bothers me is that there isn’t the widespread coverage of this current humanitarian crisis. Without people on the outside knowing about it, or maybe feeling hopeless about it, this crisis just drags on and on.

Don’t feel hopeless. You are human and therefore humanitarian — even the act of caring is humanitarian in terms of the good it does you.

Further action is on everyone else. My action today is including the text of that UN report in this volcano update.

What it all boils down to is seeing the fact that immediate success is not the goal: just give a damn, and then see what happens next, and next, and next…

None of us gets off this planet alive. It’s everything we do, say, and think while we’re here that counts.

January 28, 7:28 p.m., Pacific: There are no volcano updates — both are still active, apparently at low levels — but the social situation is dire.

M23 is trying to take Goma and may have part of it already. The last news update from the BBC, the most reliable source I could find, is ten hours old.

This, from local sources, is 14 hours old:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

X translation: “Advocacy for the restoration of water and electricity in Goma: a vital emergency.

The city is currently isolated, without electricity or water, forcing thousands of residents to stay holed up in their homes, without any supplies. We are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

We call on the international community to establish an immediate humanitarian corridor. It is imperative that technicians from the Virunga electricity company ( @gorillacd ) escorted by the @MONUSCO, can access their facilities to restore electricity which will at the same time allow the restoration of running water.”

I don’t know when the volcanoes were last monitored by Goma Observatory. The last report at GVP is on Nyamulagira, through December 10th.

They certainly can’t monitor either volcano from the ground now. TROPOMI SO2 has been tweeting detection parameters from both fairly frequently.

I’m sticking with the volcano topic here, of course, but my heart is with the people who are caught up in all this.

All I know from news reports is that the African Union is concerned, the UN is concerned, and a couple days ago MONUSCO (the Blue Hats in and around Goma) called in artillery and rapid response teams. Also, reportedly, Rwandan troops crossed the border.

At stake is not only ethnic hatred but also control over rare minerals in the Congo craton vital to today’s tech.

People, I’d rather not have a mobile phone than use one that’s dripping with blood and tears. Also, you “warriors” hell-bent on control should be aware that you are now totally at the mercy of Nyiragongo and its lava lake and fractured walls: no one is monitoring it now and that lava flows fast when it comes, as everyone saw in 2002 and 2021.

Maybe ease off a bit and let the city and its people — and its volcano observers, if they haven’t yet fled — have electricity and water, okay?

January 9, 2025, 4:58 a m., Pacific: There are no new volcano updates, and the human news is not cheering:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

December 25, 2024, 5:13 a.m., Pacific: I’ve seen no changed monitoring updates or other news, other than the continuing tweets from TROPOMI about elevated SO2 levels.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much news in social terms, either, except that outside governments (including the US) are apparently, from news stories, using what levers they can to improve the situation.

Many thousands of refugees are still sitting in harm’s way. Ultimately it’s up to the Congolese and Rwandans to help them back home.

Occasions of hate are not settled by hate.
Occasions of hate are settled by the absence of hate.
This is the eternal law.

— Dhammapada

And from my limited experience, the only way to erase hate is by replacing it with equally sincere goodwill.

For me, that’s Theravadan Buddhism, the Teaching of the Elders. It’s up to everyone else to work this out for themselves, but maybe stakeholders in the sad human situation under the volcano Nyiragongo might enjoy the pithiness of another Buddhist quote (source):

“Violence breeds misery; look at people quarreling. I will relate the emotion agitating me.

“Having seen people struggling and contending with each other like fish in a small amount of water, fear entered me.

The world is everywhere insecure, every direction is in turmoil; desiring an abode for myself I did not find one uninhabited. When I saw contention as the sole outcome, aversion increased in me; but then I saw an arrow here, difficult to see, set in the heart. Pierced by it, one runs in every direction, but having pulled it out one does not run nor does one sink….

One by one, people, please look for that arrow of Greed, Aversion, and Delusion in your own heart, and pull it out.

Some are already working on it:

❤❤❤

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

X translation:

Save Kivu: A Call to Humanity

This is the second Christmas that Goma Actif has shared with the displaced people living in the camps around Goma. Two years in the camps, but 30 years of war in the East of the DRC.

The Save Kivu campaign aims to draw attention to the plight of these thousands of displaced families, while sharing the poignant testimonies of those suffering the effects of this endless conflict.

With more than 2.7 million displaced people in North Kivu, including 600,000 living in deplorable conditions in Goma and Nyiragongo, this campaign is a platform to tell their stories, raise awareness and mobilize concrete actions. Suffering must not be invisible.

“What is your history with the Congo War? What have we learned 30 years later?”

Through visual and artistic means, testimonies and concrete actions, Sauvons le Kivu invites everyone to act. Share our message on social networks, or join Goma Actif’s initiatives directly. Every gesture counts, every voice is important.

This campaign is a collaboration with
@Edizonart
. Beyond the emergency, our real fight is peace.

Join us. Because “Let’s Save Kivu” is not just a slogan: it is a promise of solidarity and hope for the future of Kivu, of #Congo 🇨🇩 and its children. #SauvonsleKivu

📍 Contact: gomactif@gmail.com

❤❤❤

December 2, 2024, 3:31 p.m., Pacific: There are no new updates for either volcano on the GVP site but there have been a few TROPOMI SO2 tweets showing a sizable signal.

It’s probably related to Nyamulagira’s ongoing effusive eruption, but the Nyiragongo lava lake is probably contributing, too.

Given how fast that lava has flowed from the fractured walls of Nyiragongo’s crater in the recent past (last in 2021), as well as what sounds like an ongoing sizable eruption over at Nyamulagira (though not one threatening infrastructure or people, apparently), this post stays pinned, for things could change very quickly (fingers crossed that they don’t change).

November 20, 2024, 9:08 a.m., Pacific: TROPOMI SO2 tweets continue, noting emission detection at Nyamulagira (and sometimes mentioning Nyiragongo, too), but I see no other news online at the moment, and the last VAAC advisory is from November 4th.

November 16, 2024, 8:16 a.m., Pacific: Elevated SO2 emissions have been reported from time to time at both volcanoes, but this is the second one I’ve seen today for Nyamulagira — presumably activity has increased, so I will keep an eye out for news:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Possibly Nyiragongo is contributing, as it was earlier per this update from the Global Volcanism Program (GVP):

Most Recent Weekly Report: 6 November-12 November 2024

Satellite images in November indicated continuing activity at Nyamuragira. Large strong thermal anomalies in the main crater were visible in 2 and 12 November satellite images, even though weather clouds obscured significant portions of the crater. According to the Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma (OVG) sustained sulfur dioxide emissions identified in satellite data were as high as 7,000 tonnes per day on 7 November; gas emissions were attributed to both Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo.

Original post:

At the moment, Nyamulagira is the more active (with flows remaining inside the park, as far as I can tell), but the lava lake has returned to Nyiragongo, and since that fire mountain’s kettle-like walls are fractured, this lava lake will eventually spill out over the countryside and head for Kivu, as it did in 2002 and 2021.

And the socioeconomic troubles and paramilitary fighting mentioned in earlier posts continue, as this 2023 video and updating news search on sanctions show.

This post will be for updates in 2024/2025, with more information on Nyiragongo in earlier posts here and here; more information on Nyamulagira from earlier posts here and here.

Featured image: Lava at Nyamulagira (top] and plume rising from Nyiragongo’s lava lake (bottom) in February 2025, NASA Earth Observatory, public domain

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