ActionAid has called for urgent action in response to the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“ActionAid is extremely alarmed by the escalating violence in the eastern DRC, which has displaced more than 400,000 people this year alone. The humanitarian crisis in the DRC is already one of the worst in the world, with one in every four people in need of humanitarian assistance. This latest surge in violence threatens to make an already critical situation even worse,” said ActionAid DRC’s Country Director, Yakubu Mohammed Saani.
“Entire towns have become battlegrounds, and families are fleeing with nothing, desperate to escape the gunfire and chaos. Roads are blocked, ports are closed, and many are risking their lives crossing Lake Kivu in makeshift boats. Desperate families with nowhere to go are crowding into schools and churches, which lack even the most basic facilities.”
Yakubu said ActionAid is particularly concerned about the impact of the violence on women and girls. The scale of sexual violence against women and girls in the DRC has reached unimaginable levels in recent years, and the current escalation puts them at even greater risk of violence, exploitation and abuse.
“ActionAid, in collaboration with our community partners, delivers eight ongoing projects in eastern DRC, including three in North Kivu. Despite the enormous risks posed by the violence, we and our community partners are doing everything we can to continue providing critical assistance to those who have been forced to flee.”
He added: “We urgently call on the international community to take immediate action to address the rapidly spiralling humanitarian crisis in the DRC and to support all efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. ActionAid reiterates the need for immediate action to prevent further suffering and uphold the rights and safety of the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.”
ActionAid has worked in DRC since 2003 to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of displaced populations, refugees, returnees and host populations in eastern provinces.
Through its partners, it delivers eight projects in eastern DRC and three projects in North Kivu, delivering cash assistance, food and other essentials, as well as critical programmes to protect women and girls from violence and exploitation.