Reports have revealed that about 600,000 people have been displaced since the fighting between armed groups in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), started in early 2023.
Development Diaries reports that the worsening security situation in the country has led to an increased need for humanitarian aid.
Figures from the United Nations show that only 18 percent of people who fled their homes in North Kivu province over the last six months are living in dedicated camps or shelters, while the remaining 82 percent live with host families.
Since mid-2022, there has been a significant rise in population displacement as a result of the ongoing danger of violence and insecurity, notably in the nation’s eastern provinces, and the recent revival of armed conflict in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.
In addition, many more are impacted by natural disasters and new cholera epidemics, putting millions of people in danger.
People in North Kivu have reportedly been trapped in the middle of a conflict between the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), local armed groups, and joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against the ADF for decades.
Available data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) shows that an estimated 6.1 million people are internally displaced in DRC, representing a 17 percent increase from October 2022.
The civilian population in eastern DRC has been badly impacted by violence and violent attacks carried out by non-state armed groups since the beginning of the year, leading to fatalities, widespread displacement, and rising instability.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in a statement, said an estimated 165,000 people have fled to Oicha, a rural community of 360,000 inhabitants located north of the city of Beni.
It is understood that designated shelters, originally intended to house 5,700 people, are currently overflowing with some 7,200 residents, according to Oicha’s displaced persons committee.
The rest of the residents depend on the local community for shelter, food and water.
The story of 55-year-old Imelde Kavira Shaonere, who has been in Oicha for a year, puts into context the dire situation of displaced persons in the region.
‘I fled with my grandchildren and other children who had lost their parents during the fighting’, ICRC quoted her as saying.
‘There are 20 of us living in a house that I rent for 24,000 Congolese francs a month. I don’t have a job. I’ve already been asked to move out because I have no money. Food, water and health care are all hard to come by. We’re suffering terribly’.
Development Diaries calls on international donors to step up efforts towards providing assistance in order to have an effective crisis response to the humanitarian emergency caused by the escalation of violence in the country.
Source: ICRC
Photo source: IOM
