Forum of International NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has called for urgent humanitarian attention in the country.

Development Diaries reports that over 2,750 civilians have been killed in the east of the country since the year began.

And according to the 124-member forum, the presence of active non-state armed groups is aggravating the ongoing cycle of violence.

Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that as of December 2022, 5.5 million people were displaced within the country due to conflict, and almost 1.1 million had crossed borders to seek asylum.

“In many areas, the presence of active non-state armed groups is aggravating the ongoing cycle of violence, triggering massive population displacements and exacerbating an already fragile humanitarian situation’, it said in a statement.

The NGOs also expressed concern about the militarisation of the area and the recurrence of fatal conflict, which is having a worryingly negative impact on the situation of the impacted inhabitants.

The violence in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu peaked in 2022, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and taking many more lives, adding to the already existing insecurity in the nation.

The forum also called on the international community to step up its political and diplomatic commitment to finding a solution and putting an end to the perpetual cycle of violence in the country.

Photo source: Oxfam East Africa