Crisis in eastern DRC escalates - leads to greater humanitarian and protection needs
This is a summary of what was said by WFP DRC’s Spokesperson, Shelley Thakral, to whom quoted text may be attributed – at a press briefing In Geneva today
Kinshasa/Geneva: A major surge in violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has led to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing multiple active conflict zones.
Kinshasa/Geneva: A major surge in violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has led to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing multiple active conflict zones.
There are growing protection concerns as hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in and around Goma, many are exposed to the Gender Base Violence crisis and with limited access to food, safe clean drinking water and an income – the risks facing the populations will only increase in these volatile conditions.
Families fleeing the fighting face unimaginable challenges. Every step of their journey is fraught with danger. Roads are blocked, ports are closed, and those crossing Lake Kivu risk their lives in makeshift boats. Certain IDP sites have been emptied where fighting has been the most violent.
I spoke earlier to a CSO activist in Goma:
“The security and humanitarian situation in Goma is currently deteriorating. We are still here, but in hiding. We don’t know who will come to help us, we who are activists. There is a massive displacement of the population, including both new and long-time displaced people.”
Even before the recent escalation of violence some 5.1 million people in Ituri, North and South Kivu, have been displaced and forced to live in overcrowded camps with little food and no security.
WFP’s priority is keeping staff and their dependents safe. Only critical WFP staff remain in the area and once the security situation improves, we can resume our emergency assistance and operations.
Food assistance activities in and around Goma have been temporarily paused. WFP is concerned about food scarcity in Goma and rising food prices as the airport and major access roads within region have been cut-off. Depending on the duration of violence the supply of food into the city could be severely hampered. This is a huge test for Congolese trapped by the fighting in Goma and surrounding areas - of their resilience and the next 24 hours will be critical as people start to run low on supplies and will need to see what they can find to survive.
WFP strongly condemns the escalation of violence in the eastern DRC that is endangering civilian populations. We call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and uphold obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including the protection and safety of humanitarian workers.
