Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 25th Nov. UN refugee agency and the UNICEF said on Friday that humanitarians are boosting up aid in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo where an escalating crisis is unfolding.
The agencies noted that violent clashes between non-state armed groups and government forces have displaced more than 450,000 people in the last six weeks in Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu province.
UNHCR reported people arrived in the town of Sake, located near Goma, made difficult choices, with men risking death to feed starving children and women risking rape to collect firewood.
UNHCR said its monitoring in the region has showed over 3,000 reported human rights violations in October, nearly double the figure from the previous month.
“Rape and arbitrary killings feature prominently in these results, along with kidnappings, extortion, and the destruction of property, illustrating a deeply concerning pattern of abuse inflicted upon civilian populations,” the agency said.
The intensification of violence is having a devastating impact on the lives of children, with protection partners reporting a sharp increase in the number of overall violations against them.
UN agencies said the severity of the crisis is further exacerbated by the limited humanitarian access to those in dire need, mainly due to the obstruction of major routes, with some 200,000 displaced people cut off from aid.
The disruption increases the vulnerability of displaced populations, leaving them without essential resources and protection.
UNHCR has built shelters for over 40,000 people near Goma, and distributed more than 30,000 kits containing tarps, cooking pots, and blankets, the partners more action is needed to ensure that 7 million people affected by conflict receive urgent help.
UN partners and humanitarian groups are ramping up efforts to tackle urgent needs from overcrowding and inadequate shelter in spontaneous sites, with limited access to food and clean water.
UNICEF has reached 700,000 people with lifesaving assistance, including clean water and sanitation, child protection, non-food items, health, nutrition and education.
UNHCR appealed to end the violence and underlined their commitment to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the crisis.
They stressed that the international community must act swiftly and generously, noted that a $2.3 billion humanitarian response plan for the DRC this year is only 37 per cent funded.
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