How Congo crisis is worsening humanitarian situation
Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, wash their feet after arriving at a reception centre in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda on January 28, 2025.
The war between the M23/AFC and the Congolese army, which has been going on for more than three years, has now crystallised in the town of Goma, where a fierce battle has been going on since Sunday.
But the fighting is having a serious impact on the region. In Kahembe district, close to the neutral zone, there have been heavy casualties. According to some reports, at least 100 people have died in the fighting in three days, with dozens wounded.
The Heal Africa Hospital in Goma received several seriously wounded people on Tuesday morning, including civilians hit by shrapnel and stray bullets.
“We were in our house when we heard shooting. The walls started shaking, then there was an explosion. I felt a sharp pain in my leg. It was only this morning, after a night of fear, that I was able to be taken to hospital,” said one survivor, who is now in hospital, according to reports on the Actualités website.
On Sunday, Bruno Lemarquis, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, warned that “the proximity of the fighting in densely populated areas and the use of heavy artillery are exposing civilian populations to intolerable risks”.
As the battle for control of the city continued, the population of Goma remained on edge. Inhabitants of the affected areas have sought refuge in safer areas, while the wounded continue to flock to hospitals.
On Sunday, Joyce Msuya, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned the UN Security Council that “the crisis in eastern DRC is at a dangerous point”.
Overwhelmed facilities
Since the resumption of hostilities at the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands of people have tried to flee the violence, including the 700,000 already displaced and living in “disastrous” conditions on the outskirts of Goma.
“Several sites on the outskirts of Goma, home to more than 300,000 people, emptied within hours at the weekend, and 18 IDP sites around the city were largely emptied as displaced people fled heavy artillery fire,” notes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In Congo, the war has forced more than seven million people to seek refuge in safer villages and towns, with around one million already seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
“More than 21 million people are already in need of aid in the country, one of the highest figures in the world,” Msuya said.
The escalating conflict in North and South Kivu threatens to exacerbate the critical humanitarian situation. Although the Congolese government had promised to “avoid bloodshed and loss of life”, human lives are at risk as fighting continues in town after town.
“In North and South Kivu, hundreds of civilians have been killed and wounded in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes or shelters, often several times, to escape shooting and shelling, particularly around Saké and Minova. Access to humanitarian aid remains limited due to insecurity. Hospitals, notably Ndosho and Kyeshero in Goma, are overwhelmed. Medical facilities are also struggling to treat the hundreds of people who need to be treated for bullet wounds or shrapnel,” Msuya said.
Influx of wounded
The same is true of Goma, where “hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed, struggling to cope with the influx of wounded”, said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN OCHA, at a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross also said that its hospital had received more than 100 wounded in just 24 hours, compared with the same number previously received in the course of a month.
OCHA notes that in war-torn Goma, there has been “looting, dead bodies in the streets and hospitals overflowing with wounded”.
The Goma-based citizens’ movement Lucha made an equally worrying diagnosis: “The city of Goma is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis… For several days, the population of Goma has been deprived of electricity and drinking water, exposing thousands of families to unbearable living conditions and major health risks,” Lucha said.
In the face of this human tragedy, Amnesty International declared that “the warring parties must give priority to the protection of civilians and to humanitarian access in Goma”.
“Thousands of Congolese civilians are once again fleeing for their lives, in desperate need of safety and humanitarian aid,” the rights watchdog noted.
“Serious human rights violations, including civilian killings, sexual violence and the targeting of human rights activists and defenders, have often accompanied past conflicts in the eastern DRC, such as when the M23 took Goma in 2012. Some of these violations can constitute war crimes when committed in the context of armed conflict.”
“The M23 must respect international humanitarian law. It must ensure the safety of civilians, including human rights defenders and journalists, including those critical of Rwanda and the M23. They must also guarantee safe passage for fleeing civilians and allow and facilitate access for humanitarian aid,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
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