Goma (Rwanda) – The eclipse of the sun experienced on Thursday swept its way across Rwanda and Congo, with astounded locals gathering to watch it.
Witnesses said in Goma and Gisenyi that the eclipse was of the annular kind, which occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun without covering it completely and creates a ring of fire around the moon.
They said that the eclipse was visible on a path stretching from Gabon in West Africa through Congo to northern Mozambique and that most of the rest of the continent experienced partial eclipse.
A witness said that many local people were not aware of the coming of the eclipse and were surprised to see the sky turn dark, as they gathered to watch it in Goma in Congo and in Gisenyi in the Rwandan border.
Josephine Nikamandji, who works as a maid in Gisenyi, said some people were alerted through social media and had filled buckets with water to see the eclipse on its surface because watching it directly could damage the eyes.
She said that the eclipse, which lasted for a few minutes, was witnessed by crowds in large Congolese cities.
Nikamandji said that some people gave the phenomenon a supernatural significance. (dpa/NAN)