Global Courant 2023-05-05 22:33:21
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Recurring attacks by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to lead to forced displacement and extreme hardship for millions of Congolese, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
The country has 6.2 million internally displaced people, while more than 1.3 million have become refugees.
UNHCR said Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern DRC, is hosting more than 560,000 internally displaced people in and around the city. Many live in spontaneous locations on the side of the road, in appalling conditions, despite the efforts of humanitarian actors.
Constant fear of attacks
Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR’s Director of International Protection, recently returned from North Kivu and told reporters about a woman she had met, with five children:
“She didn’t even have food for that day, so she’d sent her children out to gather firewood and try to make some money. And her main concern was whether her girls would come back without having suffered an attack in the woods.
UNHCR warned that the lack of adequate sanitation and overcrowding increase the risk of cholera and measles outbreaks as people desperately struggle to survive.
Emergency shelters
She said that in Buchagara, an official IDP site on the outskirts of Goma that houses more than 15,500 displaced people, vulnerable individuals and families are now housed in 3,000 emergency shelters alongside recently installed communal kitchens, with water and sanitation facilities.
“Currently, the emergency shelter provided only covers three percent of the estimated needs. Women and young people in particular are exposed to protection risks, including gender-based violence,” she warned.
Adequate shelter is key to restoring personal safety and dignity – Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR
She said IDPs had been calling for more shelters and ways to earn some income, through farming or small business opportunities.
Security and dignity
“Adequate shelter is key to restoring personal safety and dignity,” said Ms. Tan.
More than 180,000 have recently arrived in the Kalehe area, tens of thousands of whom are sheltering in the town of Minova, a two-hour drive south of Goma, she added.
“Local host communities have so far generously shared their limited resources with the displaced population, but they are under immense pressure.”
She said that with the generous support of the international community, UNHCR has scaled up its reception, site management and protection.
“However, the needs are great. The DRC is one of the most underfunded humanitarian situations in the world. UNHCR needs $233 million this year to meet the needs of displaced persons in the DRC, but has only received 15 percent of that amount so far.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
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