Johannesburg - More than 122 000 people are reported to have fled their homes over the course of a day after another escalation in conflict in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaving thousands of children vulnerable to abuse, says humanitarian aid organisation Save the Children.
The non-profit organisation (NPO) said armed clashes between the M23 armed group and the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in areas across Kitshanga, about 60km west of Goma, between January 24 and 25, led to mass displacement, with the numbers expected to increase as the conflict continued to rage.
"Over half of the displaced people fleeing Kitshanga are estimated to be children. Save the Children said it was deeply concerned as these children are incredibly vulnerable to abuse," the NPO said.
Save the Children said the latest escalation in violence came as the pope arrived in the DRC to deliver a message of peace and reconciliation to a country rocked by conflict.
“He is in Kinshasa, meeting with and hearing from victims of violence in the country,” it said.
Save the children added that while the intensification of the conflict was causing massive displacement, in other areas of eastern DRC, people were being killed and uprooted from their homes in an alarming wave of attacks against civilians.
Referencing the UN, the NPO said more than 200 civilians haf been killed by armed groups in Ituri in the past six weeks, 2 000 houses had been destroyed and 80 schools closed or destroyed.
"Health-care facilities have been looted, making it increasingly difficult for people to access health care."
The violent attacks on civilians often include children. For example, on the evening of January 18 and the following morning, armed groups attacked a settlement of displaced people living in a village in Ituri, killing five children and two adults.
On January 8, an armed group attacked four villages in Ituri, killing 25 people, among them five children. The group also looted a health centre.
“In Ituri province alone, these attacks have forced an estimated 52 000 people to flee their homes,” said Save the Children.
The country director of Save the Children in the DRC, Amavi Akpamagbo, said the violent clashes and attacks on civilians, including children, must stop.
“We are witnessing a considerable escalation in the conflict between the M23 armed group and the FARDC, which continues to cause massive population displacement. We are also seeing vicious attacks from other armed groups, who are killing and maiming civilians, including children, in an extremely violent fashion.
“These attacks on civilians need to be investigated, and the perpetrators need to be held accountable for the violence and killing of children and other civilians,” said Akpamagbo.
Akpamagbo said the humanitarian situation was dire, with most displaced people living in precarious conditions.
“They live in schools and stadiums, and others are hosted by families where they have neither drinking water nor food. Displaced children are incredibly vulnerable. Unaccompanied or abandoned children, without family members, face an increased risk of abuse,” Akpamagbo said.
The Star