The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says a fresh crisis since last week in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has caused the displacement of an estimated 135,000 people from the town of Sake —- on the northern banks of Lake Kivu.
UNHCR, in a statement on Wednesday, said this has come amid a sharp uptick in fighting between Government forces and the M23 armed group.
The agency said it received reports of bombs falling on civilian areas in Sake and Goma, where an estimated 65,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering.
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“The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations, threatening more casualties and the destruction of buildings used as communal shelters,” UNHCR said. “The presence of unexploded ordnance poses a particular threat to children,” it added.
UNHCR noted that since the first week of February, at least 15 civilians had been killed and 29 injured around Goma and Sake.
The indiscriminate bombing is amplifying the strain on already limited resources to accommodate 800,000 IDPs in the region, and 2.5 million displaced across North Kivu Province.
The violence continues to restrict access to isolated populations in Masisi territory and Rutshuru, compounding the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies in delivering essential assistance, UNHCR said.
The agency has, however, called for an immediate halt of the violent attack, saying the displacement of civilians come against the backdrop of a devastating cholera outbreak and massive floods in January which wreaked havoc across the DRC.
(NAN)
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