Within days, some 300,000 people have been forced to flee camps for internally displaced people near Goma DRC emergency: Next 24 hours will be crucial, UN agencies warn Peace and security
The latest reports from UN staff on the ground in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) indicate a rapidly deteriorating situation as M23 rebels continue to advance on the provincial capital of North Kivu. Eyewitnesses say the streets of Goma are littered with corpses, hospitals are overcrowded, and there are increasing reports of sexual violence and looting.
“Roads are blocked, ports are closed and people are risking their lives crossing Lake Kivu on makeshift boats,” said Shelly Thakral, a spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme (WFP). – Just a few minutes ago I was talking to an activist in Goma and he told me, ‘We are hiding and we don’t know if anyone is going to come to our aid.’”
Rising violence and exodus from Goma
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shares the deep concern of the entire humanitarian community about the growing violence in the region, with some 300,000 people forced to flee camps for internally displaced people near Goma in the last few days.
“Our colleagues in the DRC are reporting heavy gunfire and mortar attacks across the city, with many bodies lying in the streets,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told a briefing for journalists in Geneva. – There are reports of rapes committed by militants, looting of property, including a humanitarian warehouse, as well as attacks on humanitarian and medical facilities.”
Hospitals in Goma are reportedly overwhelmed by the influx of wounded, power and water supplies are disrupted and the internet is down.
As the violence in the DRC escalates, calls from the international community to stop the violence are growing louder. On Monday, the UN Security Council demanded an immediate end to the M23 rebel offensive and called on the group to withdraw from captured territory. The Council reiterated its support for the UN peacekeeping force in DR Congo and paid tribute to the Blue Helmets killed in recent days in South Africa, Malawi and Uruguay.
The Security Council also condemned the presence of “external forces” in eastern DRC amid reports that Rwandan troops are actively involved in the offensive. The Security Council called on all parties to observe the ceasefire and return to negotiations.
The crisis is not happening now
Even before the current escalation of violence in eastern DRC, some 5.1 million people were already internally displaced and living in overcrowded camps with limited food supplies and without any guarantees of safety.
UN agencies continue to monitor the situation. The latest developments have forced WFP to temporarily suspend food aid operations in the Goma area. “The airport and main roads in the area are closed… Food supplies to the city could be severely hampered,” Shelly Thakral said. “The next 24 hours will be critical as people start to run out of essential supplies.”
Disease Risk
The outbreak of violence has raised concerns among World Health Organization (WHO) experts about the rapid spread of dangerous infectious diseases among displaced people. At the moment, WHO’s immediate priority is helping victims of the violence.
“There are currently hundreds of people in hospitals, most of them with gunshot and shrapnel wounds, and they are at risk of secondary infections,” said Dr. Adelheid Marchang, emergency coordinator for the DRC.
Ahead of the closure of Goma’s airport on Saturday, WHO sent critical medical supplies to the city to provide trauma care, emergency care, infection prevention, cholera prevention and more.
Health workers themselves are also at risk as a result of the current surge in violence, a WHO spokesman said. “Attacks on health facilities violate the rules of war. “Healthcare facilities must be protected under all circumstances,” Dr. Marschang emphasized.