UN sounds the alarm over rampant violence and rising humanitarian needs in eastern Congo

(Kinshasa, 19 June 2023): The world’s top relief officials have triggered an immediate scale-up of humanitarian operations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following months of relentless violence and rising humanitarian needs, with a focus on the scarcity of food, protection concerns and the spread of treatable diseases in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, as well as in South Kivu.

Last week, nearly fifty people, many of them women and children, were massacred in the Lala displacement site in Ituri in the latest outburst of violence. Thousands more have since fled the site.

“The brutality unleashed by armed groups on local communities and the depth of people’s humanitarian need is unparalleled,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC. “The suffering is immense. Millions of people desperately need humanitarian assistance. We are fully committed to this scale-up in our response.”

The emergency protocols call on all UN humanitarian agencies in the DRC and their international NGO partners to deploy additional capacity and the additional resources required to increase the scale of humanitarian assistance in the region in support of the efforts of the DRC Government and working closely with local partners and organizations. The UN is also calling for all armed actors active in these provinces to end attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and for the Government of the DRC, which has the primary responsibility for protecting civilians, to increase its efforts to ensure the protection of civilians.

Hunger and malnutrition in the east are growing due to a lethal mix of violence, natural disasters, widespread poverty and lack of basic services. Many rural communities have no choice but to abandon their fields out of fear of attacks. In Ituri, food production has dropped by 25 per cent over the last year alone.

Outbreaks of Ebola, measles, cholera and other diseases have also contributed to the region’s humanitarian crisis.

Since March 2022, 2.8 million people have been forced from their homes in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. DRC now has 6.3 million internally displaced people, the highest number in any African country.

Gender-based violence is rampant with more than 31,000 cases registered in the first three months of 2023 alone. The real number is likely much higher as sexual violence often goes unreported. Grave violations against children are also on the rise, particularly child recruitment, abductions and sexual violence.

Despite the scale of the needs, funding for the humanitarian response remains low. Aid agencies require US$2.25 billion to assist ten million people this year. As of 19 June, the humanitarian response plan is only 28 per cent funded.

"We call on donors to further support, although humanitarian assistance is not a long-term solution," said Bruno Lemarquis. "Alongside humanitarian assistance, we also need much more efforts and investment in early recovery and emergency development programmes to assist communities get back on their feet. But first and foremost, we need the violence to stop."

For more information

Carla Martinez, Head of office, OCHA-RDC, +243817061223, martinez14@un.org
Yvon Edoumou, Public Information Officer, +243819889136, edoumou@un.org