Kinshasa, July 17th, 2021 (CPA).- Attacks by an armed group force 20,000 civilians to flee their homes in eastern DRC, said a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday the CPA.
According to the document, recent attacks have forced thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety in the eastern part of Beni territory and continue to weaken and disrupt social, economic, educational activities.
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch, who gave this statistic during the press conference on July 16th, 2021, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, calls for urgent and reinforced measures to protect civilians in eastern DRC, where there have been recent repeated attacks by an armed group.
He denounced the armed groups which continue to devastate the lives of civilians, despite the state of siege declared on May 6 by the President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, in North Kivu and Ituri.
Since June 22nd, he also denounced, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have allegedly caused the brutal deaths of at least 14 people and injured many others in the town of Beni and its surroundings.
Houses were looted, and others set on fire, he continued, during the first attack committed in two months in this city by the ADF, the resurgence of which terrorizes the lives of residents, while developing a feeling panic and anxiety prevailing in the community, as well as a lack of trust in the security forces, given the high expectations for improved security conditions as a result of the new measures.
Despite our efforts, he added, the humanitarian response in this part of the DRC is increasingly challenged by the cumulative impact of multiple emergencies, including the aftermath of the volcano eruption. Nyiragongo in Goma on May 22nd.
According to UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch, nearly two million people have been uprooted by insecurity and violence in North Kivu province alone over the past two decades. This motivates UNHCR and its partners to help local authorities register displaced families, assess their needs and respond to them. Despite difficult living conditions, the displaced are gradually returning to their neighborhoods, he said.
More than 100,000 displaced people received emergency shelter in 2020
Meanwhile, Babar Baloch said more than 100,000 internally displaced people have benefited from emergency shelters in 2020 and nearly 14,000 since early 2021.
“But, the needs remain high, as attacks by armed groups continue to generate internally displaced people in the province, many being forced to flee on several occasions. Women and children, whose needs are particularly acute, receive shelter, relief items and cash assistance allowances. We also continue to provide support to local communities, who are on the front line in responding to recurrent forced displacement. UNHCR’s partners do essential work of documenting human rights violations. Additional resources are urgently needed. The UNHCR appeal for our operations in the DRC, amounting to 205 million dollars, is only 36% funded, « he concluded. ACP/