Renewed violent clashes between non-state armed groups and government forces have led to the latest emergency, forcing 300,000 people to flee their homes in North Kivu province in February alone.
This is reported by the UN refugee agency UNHCR 20,000 fled at the start of the week and nearly 50,000 were displaced from the Kitchanga region of Masisi territory during the week of February 17.
Survivors
“Citizens continue to pay heavy and bloody price of conflict, including women and children who narrowly escaped the violence and now sleep exhausted and traumatized in the open, in spontaneous or organized locations,” said UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh.
UNHCR teams on the ground reported gruesome testimonies of human rights violations in affected areasespecially in Rutshuru and Masisi areas, including random killings, kidnappings, extortion and rapes,” the UNHCR spokesman continued.
Lack of resources
Conditions are appalling for those arriving at spontaneous or organized locations, who, according to the UN refugee agency, are now succumbing to the pressure.
The resurgence of violence in eastern DR Congo has caused more than 800,000 people to flee since March last year, including to the provinces of South Kivu and Ituri.
© UNHCR/Hélène Caux
Relief supplies are distributed to displaced people in Plain Savo in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than 130 armed groups operate on the border between DR Congo and Rwanda, including the M23 militiawhich has historically targeted government forces and the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO.
An M23 ceasefire agreement brokered last week and set to start on Tuesday has failed to materialize.
The resurgence of violence in the region has caused more than 800,000 people to flee since March last year, including to the provinces of South Kivu and Ituri.
Assist
Where access permits, UNHCR teams are positioned to provide psychosocial counseling and community support to those traumatized by what they have experienced or experienced.
Humanitarian workers have continued to warn that despite “all efforts” to provide protection and assistance to the displaced near Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, access to aid remains difficult as key routes have often been made inaccessible due to ongoing conflicts .
More than 5,500 people have also crossed the border with neighboring Rwanda since January, and beyond 5,300 to Uganda while insecurity and violence continue to plague the border regions.
© UNHCR/Hélène Caux
Women fetch water at a displaced persons camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Stop fighting
“UNHCR strongly reiterates its call to all actors in eastern DRC to stop the threat violence that takes a huge toll on the civilian population,” the UN agency said in a statement.
The DRC is the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa, with 5.8 million people are internally displaced, mainly in the east of the country. It also hosts more than a million refugees from neighboring countries.
It is also one of UNHCR’s most underfunded operations worldwide. for 2023, UNHCR is asking for $232.6 million to assist internally displaced persons and refugees in the DRC. At present, the DRC operation is only funded at 8 percent.
