Lake Kivu lies on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. From the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis in 1994 to the recent capture of Goma (last January) by the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, it has been the silent witness to over 30 years of tumultuous conflict between the two countries. More than a border, this lake forms an unbreakable bond for the people who live on its shores. Every night, Rwandan and Congolese fishermen gather here to catch sambazas (small sardines), which are vital to the local economy but increasingly rare.
In this seismically unstable region, dotted with active volcanoes, Lake Kivu also conceals a number of mysteries. A mermaid goddess is said to inhabit its depths, seducing men into a cavern filled with deadly gases. Indeed, the lake is also a veritable time bomb. It contains 2.6 gigatons of CO2 and around 60 km3 of dissolved methane, representing almost 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A limnic eruption could release these toxic gases, threatening the lives of nearly two million people living on its shores.
According to legend, the mermaid also acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the spirits of the ancestors. But how many more bodies must the mermaid collect from the bottom of her waters before peace returns to her shores?