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UN reports fresh displacement in eastern DRC as insecurity hampers relief efforts
Summary
The United Nations said clashes in parts of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri are displacing civilians and limiting humanitarian access, with thousands fleeing recent fighting and schools and markets closed in affected areas.
The United Nations cautioned Friday that continued clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are harming civilians, forcing thousands to flee and impeding relief efforts.
UN humanitarian reporting cited violence in parts of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. In South Kivu, fighting between armed groups in Uvira and adjacent territory has displaced nearly 11,000 people since March 9, the UN said. In North Kivu, civil-society sources described a fragile calm in Walikale after recent clashes that forced thousands of families to flee and left schools and markets closed.
The UN said an armed group on March 26 destroyed dozens of homes in Jugu territory in Ituri, and that local groups in Maniema province reported that armed elements had occupied a school in the provincial capital, depriving more than 1,000 children of education since March 23. The UN called on all parties to vacate schools and allow humanitarian access.
The spokesperson said insecurity and logistical constraints are impeding relief efforts, leaving displaced communities with urgent needs for food, shelter, water and health care. UN agencies and partners are working with community leaders to facilitate humanitarian access where possible, but characterized the operating environment as fragile.
No new UN mission mandates or Security Council decisions were announced at the briefing; UN officials reiterated calls for protection of civilians and expanded humanitarian access.
