UN Calls for $540 Million Aid to Help DR Congo Displaced

by PH February 2, 2024, 8:30 pm

Deaf and mute, Machozi Kanake, 64 years old and mother of 6 children has found refuge in this site of Rusayo where she hopes to live far from the shooting and bombing.From Kitshanga to Goma, she has traveled more than 150 km with the help of host families in the villages.Having lost track of her family, Machozi only asks for one thing, peace. ; Fighting between the FARDC and the M23 has caused more than 117,000 people to flee the Masisi territory in less than a week. Most of the displaced are women and children. Fleeing from northern, western and southern Kitshanga, they are taking refuge in host families as well as in warehouses, schools and churches.Other desperate people are settling in spontaneous sites and facing all possible risks. Many are also sleeping in the open and are exposed to the weather. At least 5,000 people, who had already fled to Kitshanga after the January 19 violence in Mweso and Pinga, are being displaced for a second time. As the M23 continues to gain ground, UNHCR protection monitors report a desperate need for food, shelter, and essential household items. As the conflict continues, humanitarian access is becoming increasingly precarious.UNHCR and other humanitarians are trying to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance at the place of refuge. As a first step, a secure site for relocation has been allocated in Rusayo for 50 hectares of land to house these homeless families.

The UN World Food Programme requested for 540 million dollars on Friday to assist six million people displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has to prioritize food assistance for millions of vulnerable individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to limited resources.

“It’s a painful decision, which is why we urgently need funds,” said WFP Deputy Country Director Natasha Nadazdin.

“As the conflict rages on, humanitarian needs continue to grow,” according to a UN agency statement.

“WFP urgently needs $397 million dollars for essential food and nutrition assistance in eastern DRC over the next six months to provide assistance to the 1.5 million people prioritised and a total $543 million to keep operations going countrywide.”

Last September, the UN Office for Humanitarian Coordination reported that only $747 million of the $2.25 billion required for Congo’s displaced was available as of mid-August.

Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been ravaged by violent warfare for nearly three decades.

North Kivu has seen the return of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel force, which has taken significant parts of the region in the previous two years.