Every day, the situation is getting worse. We are seeing firsthand the devastating impact that this conflict is having on vulnerable communities. Some of these families have been displaced for the seventh time, with no immediate means of support. This situation is unsustainable.
— Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxfam in DRC
There has been an outbreak of renewed fighting in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the crisis is escalating quickly. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Millions of people have already had to flee multiple times due to the conflict.
The total number of people displaced has reached 6.4 million. The humanitarian situation was already dire, now it’s getting much worse.
Over 25.4 million people (a quarter of the population) need humanitarian assistance. We urgently call for an end to hostilities.
This surge in fighting is happening around the North Kivu capital of Goma. The humanitarian situation is escalating at a severe rate. In Goma, more than one million people out of a population of two million have no access to basic social services or water.
As violence worsens, families are sheltering in schools and churches in and around Goma city. Outages of power and water, shortages of food, shelter and other essential basic services, mean humanitarian assistance is urgently needed. Hospitals are being overwhelmed, as they struggle to treat the influx of wounded people. Artillery shelling is happening in areas already housing displaced families, causing panic.
Women and girls are being directly affected by the fighting. They are the main victims of gender-based violence, and are often used as weapons of war. They also often find themselves alone with the family when fleeing conflict.
"The scale of suffering in the DRC demands urgent attention"
“I am particularly concerned about the impact on women and girls. We already know that gender-based violence increased by 300 per cent in recent years, and that two thirds of all cases had occurred in the three eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
— Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.
“Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave behind whatever little they had managed to salvage on displacement sites.
“Many are seeking shelter in churches, schools, and other makeshift shelters in Goma which are far from safe or adequate. The most basic needs for survival — food, clean water, medical care, blankets and protection — are in short supply, and humanitarian aid is yet to reach them."
— Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxfam in DRC.
People who are displaced now face threats to their health, safety, and wellbeing. The lack of proper shelter and resources is increasing the risk of disease outbreaks. This includes the Mpox virus which has already claimed countless lives in DRC, further straining an already fragile healthcare system.
Oxfam is working to provide people with clean water and other essential items, but the scale of need is overwhelming and intensified fighting makes it difficult to reach people who need help.
Oxfam is calling for immediate international support to ensure that people are not left behind. All parties must protect civilians and humanitarian workers caught up in the violence.
"The scale of suffering in the DRC demands urgent attention"
“Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave behind whatever little they had managed to salvage on displacement sites.
