By Abdulrahman Abdullahi
Individual assessments carried out by the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) revealed that at least 415,000 people, nearly half of whom are children has been forced to leave Goma due to the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano.
According to IOM report, an estimated 86 per cent of the internally displaced, 114,000 people, have moved to Masisi; a further 77,000 have travelled to Rutshuru. Roughly 52,000 people have crossed the border into Rwanda.
6000 people around the affected area were spoken to by IOM’s data collectors. They report that an estimated 47 per cent of those on the move are under the age of 18, and approximately 58 per cent are female.
According to Nigeria Nationwide News, IOM classifies at least 28 per cent of the displaced coming from vulnerable groups. This includes children under five, breastfeeding women, the chronically ill, pregnant women, unaccompanied children, elderly people and those with mental health issues and physical disabilities.
Displaced persons have fled mainly on foot but also by boat, vehicles, motorcycles, buses and trucks.
“People are still mobile, with some leaving and a small number returning to the city,” said Fabien Sambussy, IOM Chief of Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
