Eastern DRC: tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced due to an upsurge in violence

Urgent action is needed to help tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes as a result of armed attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, announced today 18 humanitarian organizations . Those who remain are trapped between the Ugandan border and a region of the DRC terrorized by armed groups and close to the Ebola epidemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 950 people.

The organizations said the alarming humanitarian situation was triggered by attacks that began on March 30 and have been going on for a month in the Beni territory of North Kivu. According to local health authorities, more than 60,000 people were displaced in April alone.

Seven thousand of them are housed in a primary school just 1 km from the border with Uganda. The only water available for drinking comes from the river and there are only a few toilets in the school, which means that the risk of spreading the disease is high. Since no food is provided, the only way to get food is to go back to their villages where they do not feel safe.

Tamba Emmanuel Danmbi-saa, head of Oxfam's humanitarian program in the DRC, said: "This is an extremely worrying situation. These people are afraid to return home and are forced to live in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions in an area where the Ebola virus poses a significant threat. These people are in urgent need of food, adequate sanitation facilities, clean water and health services. "

Humanitarian organizations have stated that the current violence in the region makes it extremely difficult to provide badistance to the people of the DRC and that the Ugandan authorities are preparing to welcome an influx of new refugees. In Uganda, they may have better access to basic services, including health care, and the protection they need. However, there is serious concern about reports that people are being prevented from crossing the border into Uganda for at least 16 official pbadages.

As a result, some displaced people have no choice but to return to the villages where they fled, where they are likely to face further attacks. Others avoid official border points and choose to cross the forests illegally along the border or by boat on Lake Albert. It also increases the risk of spreading the Ebola virus because people are not screened, as they would be at official border crossings.

Francis Iwa, Executive Director of Forced Migrant Care (CAFOMI), said: "These unofficial crossings place people in search of refuge in the face of an increased and totally unnecessary risk of badual violence and exploitation. Once in Uganda, they also avoid official immigration procedures and registration as refugees – which means that they may not be screened for Ebola and that they will not be tested. They will not be able to access the same services prepared to help them. "

Elijah Okeyo, National Director of the International Rescue Committee in Uganda, said: "Governments on both sides of the border must work with the humanitarian community to protect IDPs and provide the badistance they urgently need. . "

Humanitarian organizations, UNHCR and the Ugandan government are preparing to receive IDPs. The 18 humanitarian organizations are calling on the Congolese authorities to ensure that displaced people can move freely and safely to Uganda.

Heather Kerr, national director of Save the Children in the DRC, said: "We estimate that at least 30,000 children have been displaced in this violence and are now living in squalid conditions. Many of these children would have witnessed terrifying violence, attacked family members and destroyed houses. Now they are exposed to diseases such as the Ebola virus, which strikes children the hardest. This is an unacceptable situation and needs to be addressed now. "

The 18 humanitarian organizations also call on the Congolese and Ugandan authorities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, international organizations and donors to urgently cooperate and pool their resources so that people receive badistance. they need as quickly as possible. They must also ensure that they are ready to deal with a new influx of refugees from the DRC and to meet the needs of refugees already in Uganda.