In the face of new offensives by the armed group M23/AFC in the cities of Minova and Goma since January 19, 2025, hundreds of thousands of people have once again been forced to flee their homes, while reception and assistance capacities for displaced persons are already saturated.
A catastrophic situation
According to the United Nations, the escalation of violence has already caused the displacement of over 230,000 people since the beginning of the year in North and South Kivu, which already host 4.6 million internally displaced persons.
« The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Already, among the 1,672,220 displaced persons in South Kivu (report from the South Kivu Provincial Humanitarian Coordination – OCHA) following the January attacks in Masisi, Minova, and Goma, thousands of people who were living in internal displacement sites and with host families have moved further into South Kivu, in the health areas of Mianda, Kusisa, Matitura, and Tushunguti. Médecins du Monde teams, who work there, recorded 14,538 people between January 4 and 15. This number has continued to rise since », warns Mamadou Kaba BARRY, General Coordinator of Médecins du Monde in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lack of access for humanitarian organizations
He adds: « Whether in North or South Kivu, populations are deprived of access to food, water, electricity (Goma), and health care. And due to insecurity along the roads and the risk of attacks, humanitarian organizations, including Médecins du Monde, do not have access to all areas. We are therefore unable to deliver medical supplies (hospital equipment, medical devices, etc.) and essential medicines to health centers and hospitals. The situation is terribly alarming: for example, maternity care cannot be provided optimally, nor can the management of acute malnutrition cases. And once again, it is civilians who are paying the price ».
We call on the parties to the conflict to guarantee unhindered humanitarian access to enable humanitarian organizations like Médecins du Monde to ensure access to health care and protection for affected populations.
To achieve this, a strong commitment from the international community in support of humanitarian organizations is essential to deliver vital aid to those in need.
Our intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo
– Médecins du Monde intervenes in particular through an emergency program in 6 health areas (High Plateaus of Kalehe territory in South Kivu and in Tushunguti).
Our teams operate in a conflict context where humanitarian access is limited. Among the various actions carried out, Médecins du Monde:
- provides primary and secondary health care
- ensures the nutritional management of children under 5
- provides maternity services at health centers and hospitals
- improves health infrastructure and access to water in care centers
- provides care for victims of gender-based violence (including survivors of sexual violence)
– The organization carries out the same activities in the High Plateaus of Mwenga and Fizi. Since December 2024, following the fighting in these territories, 75,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and have taken refuge in the forest or have been taken in by host families who themselves live in precarious conditions.
Press contact:
Mélissa Cabana, Director of Communications
Médecins du Monde Canada
melissa.cabana@medecinsdumonde.ca
514-799-8985
Photo: MdM Canada / Alexis Aubin