Security environment and humanitarian response in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Published: Jun 19, 2024 Reading time: 3 minutes
Violence has caused millions of people in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to lose their homes. Insecurity is fuelling a long-standing humanitarian crisis often overlooked by the international community. Since May 2023, we have improved the health care and nutrition of more than 90,000 of the most vulnerable people.
The situation remains tense in the east of the country, particularly where we are active in South Kivu, due to the persistent presence of regular clashes between dozens of armed groups operating in the region. These repeated clashes result in massive population displacements, looting, and even the destruction of local homes and health facilities.
We met her in the Kahololo Health Centre when she sought care for her malnourished child and received therapeutic food called Plumpy´Nut for free.
According to the UN, some 6.3 million people have been internally displaced since March 2022. More recently, insecurity has forced more than 2.8 million people to flee their homes in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Despite the region's isolation, inaccessibility by road, and highly volatile security situation, along with partner organisation International Medical Corps (IMC), we provide aid thanks to financial support from the European Union. Based in the intervention zones, our team cooperates with local health workers, supporting them in training and technical support in health, protection, and nutrition. This project strives to improve the nutritional and health conditions of the vulnerable population, focusing on children aged 0-59 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women in particular, by improving access to quality treatment services in cases of severe acute malnutrition.
Among the activities carried out under the project, we launched behaviour change awareness campaigns to encourage families to improve their eating habits, which can cause certain illnesses in children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women. In addition to malnutrition in all its forms, PIN and IMC provide free treatment for the various pathologies common in the Kahololo centre area.
The area is very isolated, so getting medicines, nutritional inputs, and logistical equipment to health centres remains challenging. However, thanks to a European Union flight programme, some facilities are able to get equipment, such as WASH materials, on time. In other, more remote health centres, staff and community members have to walk several kilometres and carry equipment and medicines on their heads.
With funding from the European Union, we currently support 14 health facilities and over 93,000 people in the two health zones of Kimbi-Lulenge and Hauts Plateaux d’Uvira.
