Reference :
V-P-CD-E-02869
Date :
30/12/2022
Caption :
North Kivu province, Nyiragongo territory, Kanyaruchinya. The ICRC organises a food distribution for displaced people who fled from the clashes between the Congolese army and the 23 March Movement (M23).
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
Source: ICRC website, article 12/01/2023.
"The humanitarian crisis triggered by clashes between the Congolese army and fighters from the March 23 Movement (M23) in Rutshuru territory, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, continues to be a cause for concern. At sites providing shelter to displaced people, the scale of need remains vast. A number of humanitarian organizations are responding to the dramatic situation. At the end of December, the International Committee of the Red Cross distributed food to 47,950 people and cash aid to 44,910 people.
(...)
"As in all of our operations, we focused on listening to and engaging with communities affected by the conflict to better understand their needs, vulnerabilities and capacities, as well as to hear what they viewed as priorities, in order to respond to them. Our teams interacted with displaced families before, during and after the distribution of food. This transparent communication enabled us to provide aid to meet the real needs of people affected by the security crisis in Rutshuru territory.
"Many of the families who had moved to the camp in Kanyaruchinya following the escalation of the conflict between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congolese army in Rutshuru last October, had not yet received any food. People were desperately waiting for aid to arrive.
"With the help of volunteers from the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we distributed goods to 47, 280 people (displaced people and host families). Each family received a 25 kg sack of rice, 12.5 kg of beans, 5 litres of oil and 1 kg of salt. We also provided the same type of aid to 670 people in the town of Goma.
"Thousands of displaced people had made their way to the foot of Mount Nyiragongo, where food was being distributed. With patience and discipline, they followed the instructions given by volunteers from the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aid was distributed on the basis of lists drawn up during the registration process carried out beforehand.
(...)
"Daily life is tough for people living on the site: when they fled the armed violence, they were forced to leave almost everything behind – fields, livestock, food and essential goods. They scramble to make ends meet with no means of subsistence. Many have taken on jobs as day labourers. However, this kind of work is becoming increasingly scarce, given the exponential growth in the number of displaced people. As a result, the income of households (internally displaced people and host families) remains low. The cost of food consumption does not exceed an average of 2,000 Congolese francs (approximately 1 US dollar) per day.
"This particular camp, which hosts thousands of displaced people, is just a stone's throw from another camp providing refuge to people who had fled the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in June 2021. The conditions here are far from sanitary, and only get worse when it rains. Rainwater frequently floods the small makeshift huts that serve as shelters for people unable to find space in schools, churches or other camps, leaving the occupants vulnerable to disease. Indeed, cases of cholera have been reported at the site."
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
6000x4002
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
