Medical charity calls for dignified return, humanitarian aid for IDPs in Congo
An IDP camp on the outskirts of Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The ongoing armed conflict in DRC has created a massive humanitarian crisis.
The ongoing armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has created a massive humanitarian crisis, and the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling on the M23, which controls Goma and surrounding areas, to allow the passage of humanitarian aid for thousands of displaced civilians.
According to MSF, the province of North Kivu has been severely affected by violence over the past three weeks, and Goma is now home to 696,000 internally displaced people (IDPs).
The United Nations (UN) report puts the total number of IDPs at 5.6 million as of February 2025, including 480,000 people displaced in Goma in January.
As departures from the camps accelerate, MSF is calling for voluntary exits and for humanitarian aid to be provided where it is most needed.
However, it acknowledges that the fighting in Goma has subsided, with the M23/AFC (Alliance Fleuve Congo) now controlling most of the province, and that many displaced people are on the move.
Some camps are rapidly emptying, with large numbers of people heading for neighbouring areas, including their homes.
MSF staff have also observed displaced people heading towards Goma, while some displaced people from destroyed camps are heading towards the remaining camps west of Goma.
"This week, some camps have been largely emptied in just a few hours,” said Thierry Allafort-Duverger, head of MSF's emergency programmes in Goma.
“People are leaving with what little they have. We don't know in what conditions they will travel home or what they will find there. But it is crucial that these movements are voluntary and that the reception conditions in their areas of returns are safe."
The movement has been attributed to a number of reasons. Many camp residents mention evacuation orders allegedly given by the M23, while others receive official messages to the contrary.
Others say they are leaving after years of surviving in desperate conditions. Some, however, choose to remain in the camps, unsure of the security situation and what they will find at home.
"The messages remain confused and unclear, but what is certain is that the population is very worried, oscillating between rumours and reality," said Allafort.
"Families are extremely vulnerable. Humanitarian aid is more than necessary, both for those who are leaving and those who are staying. Unfortunately, we are seeing that a number of NGOs have been unable to resume their activities or have suspended their services, dismantling their structures in the camps."
The vulnerability of the population and their need for assistance is illustrated by the fact that, in the last few days, MSF teams have witnessed some people dismantling humanitarian facilities and taking away anything that might be useful: chairs, metal sheets, tarpaulins and ropes.
