UNHCR: Humanitarian crisis in conflict-torn North Kivu “tragic”

By Lisa Zengarini

Following the recent upsurge of fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group in the Eastern North Kivu province, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on Tuesday for the protection of civilians caught in the crossfire, and for safe humanitarian aid access.

Insecurity in the Congolese eastern provinces, already plagued by decades of militia violence, reached a new high in 2022, after the allegedly Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement launched an offensive, with the Government forces and the United Nations peacekeepers of MONUSCO struggling to contain the advance of the Tutsi-led militia.

Thousands fleeing fighting between army and M23

Clashes between the rebels, army forces and self-defence groups that support them have now further escalated, forcing more people to flee to safer areas. M23 fighters reportedly surrounded the strategic town of Sake – on the northern banks of Lake Kivu – last week, a crucial step before reaching Goma.

According to the UN refugee agency an estimated 135,000 people from the town are moving towards the provincial capital. The agency further said that it received reports of bombs falling on civilian areas in Sake and Goma, where an estimated 65,000 internally displaced persons are sheltering, raising “significant concerns” for their safety.

Indiscriminate bombing of civilians

"Civilians in eastern DRC are once again bearing the brunt of the escalating conflict," said Chansa Kapaya, UNHCR Regional Director for Southern Africa and the Regional Coordinator for the DRC refugee situation, lamenting that relentless confrontations near Goma have targeted innocent men, women and children, forcing thousands to flee indiscriminate bombings and violence. “The situation is tragic and unacceptable”,  she said,  urging “all parties to protect civilians, respect humanitarian law and establish safe corridors for aid.

Over 6 million IDPs and 1 million refugees

The indiscriminate bombing is amplifying the strain on already limited resources to accommodate 800,000 IDPs in the region, and 2.5 million displaced across North Kivu Province. The violence continues to restrict access to isolated populations in Masisi territory and Rutshuru, compounding the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies in delivering essential assistance, the UN refugee agency said. With few viable options for safe passage from Goma, the growing displaced communities in the town face rapidly deteriorating conditions, it added.

UNHCR emphasized the imperative to safeguard the lives and well-being of civilians and those driven from their homes. It also called for an immediate stop to the fighting and for urgent negotiations to resolve the conflict.

Anti-MONUSCO protests

The emergency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world. Decades of clashes between militias, including now Islamist groups, widespread violations of human rights, and devastating incidents of gender-based violence have displaced over 6 million people within the country, already hosting more than half a million refugees from neighbouring countries, and forcing 1 million to seek asylum across Africa.

The UN mission’s failure to stem the violence has caused widespread discontent in the local population, and in 2022 led to violent protests against the United Nations peacekeeping force, MONUSCO. New demonstrations broke out in recent days in the Congolese capital Kinshasa where authorities stepped up security measures around several embassies and UN installations.

Outbreak of cholera and floodings

The latest spike in violence and displacement comes against the backdrop of a devastating cholera outbreak and massive floods in January that wreaked havoc across the DRC.

Some 100,000 houses, over 1,000 schools, 267 health facilities and large swathes of agricultural land have been damaged or destroyed, leaving an estimated two million people – nearly 60 per cent of them children – in need of assistance.