The UN warns that “the scale and duration of the displacement is historic for the eastern DRC”
June 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that around 600,000 displaced people around the city of Goma, located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), live in “desperate conditions” because of the inadequate food supply and violence in this part of the African country.
Doctors from the NGO have witnessed “alarming” rates of malnutrition and mortality in some of the camps for displaced persons in the area, located in the province of North Kivu, for which reason they have asked the international community for “concrete” steps to materialize the commitment of United Nations agencies to increase their efforts to provide aid to the population.
“The scale and duration of the displacement is historic for eastern DRC,” said Guyguy Manangama, director of emergency programs for MSF. “This gives us an idea of the response that is needed, even though hundreds of thousands of people remain largely forgotten by the aid community, despite the growing awareness of the humanitarian system,” he lamented.
MSF has been warning for months about the inadequate level of aid and the slowness in delivering this support to people who have fled their homes due to the upsurge in violence due to the offensive launched at the end of 2022 by the rebel group Movimiento March 23 (M23).
In this sense, the organization has reported that, despite the fact that there has been an increase in aid in recent weeks, around 600,000 people are not receiving it, with special concern regarding the lack of food and adequate accommodation for these displaced
“The catastrophic situation is even more incomprehensible considering the proximity of the big city of Goma, where aid could easily be distributed,” Manangama stressed, adding that “there are activities here and there, but without any coordination or supervision from the situation in the fields.
“The scale of the mobilization of the aid system is far from being sufficient and it is too slow,” he argued, before stressing that “there is also a flagrant lack of visibility and information about the aid delivered and the number of people who need aid, information that is necessary for proper coordination between aid organizations”.
Thus, MSF recalled that a study on mortality carried out in April in the Rusayo, Shabindu and Don Bosco camps revealed alarming mortality rates among children under five during the first four months of the year. In the case of Rusayo, where between 85,000 and 100,000 people live, an average of more than three children died a day.
Likewise, the data reflect rates of acute malnutrition among 4.9 percent of children under five years of age in the Elohim camp, where some 4,000 people reside, according to data from a study carried out in May by the organization.
Lack of food also impacts the health of adults, especially women, who often have to leave camps to search for food and wood, putting them at greater risk of violence, including sexual violence.
MSF warned in May of the high number of sexual violence that had received attention from its teams, including around 675 victims in two weeks in the Bulengo, Lushagala, Kanyaruchinya, Elohim, Munigi and Rusayo camps. Currently, NGO teams report an average of 40 women seeking help on a daily basis for sexual violence in these camps.
Finally, the organization has asserted that the situation is equally dire in other areas of North Kivu, including the territories of Lubero, Masisi and Rutshuru, where MSF is sometimes the only NGO present on the ground and where the level of aid available to the victims is also very inadequate.
