More than 230,000 people displaced in DRC since the start of the year, UN says Conflict News

The UN says forced displacement is one of the world’s “most dire” humanitarian crises.

More than 230,000 people have been displaced since the start of the year amid escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to the United Nations.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Friday described the displacement as the world’s “most alarming” humanitarian crisis.

The resource-rich eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, home to more than 4.6 million internally displaced people, have been in conflict for 30 years, with the M23 rebel group emerging as one of the country’s most powerful armed groups, according to the agency. recent years.

Designated a “terrorist movement” by the DRC government, M23 has taken over large areas of eastern DRC Since 2021, and earlier this month, it took control of the town of Masisi in North Kivu.

Earlier this month, Bertrand Bisimwa, the head of M23’s political wing, told Al Jazeera that he was fighting against the group. “defensive” war.

“Increasing clashes between non-state armed groups and the Congolese army in North and South Kivu provinces are fueling one of the world’s most dire but underreported humanitarian crises,” UNHCR spokesman Eugene Byun told reporters in Geneva.

Byun warned that the conflict was “marked by widespread human rights abuses and mass displacement”.

Byun noted that intense fighting in Masisi and Lubero areas alone from January 1 to 6 forced about 150,000 people to leave their homes. Many returned briefly during a lull in the fighting on January 4, but were forced to flee again as new fighting broke out, according to the UN.

In South Kivu’s Fizi region, the local government has asked for international assistance, noting that 84,000 people are seeking refuge.

Byun warned that civilians were enduring “indiscriminate bombing and sexual violence”, with children being targeted.

“The already dire humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating, and access to this vulnerable population is severely limited by security, roadblocks and the presence of violent armed forces,” Byun said.

UNHCR said it was ready to provide assistance as soon as access was restored, but stressed the urgent need for more funding.