The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the dire humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Fighting between the army and M23 rebels has spread to Goma, a city of about two million locals and internally displaced people.
During a press briefing on Monday, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, described the situation on the ground as “volatile and dangerous”.
“The civilian population in a region that is already massively affected, and where the humanitarian challenges are daunting, certainly the risks of a broader humanitarian disaster are very high,” he said.
The eastern DRC has been a tinderbox for decades and the UN has warned that the M23 offensive risks spiralling into a regional war.
There are already close to 6.5 million displaced people in the country, including nearly 3 million in North Kivu province where the Goma crisis is unfolding.
“The humanitarian situation in and around Goma is extremely, extremely worrying, with new thresholds of violence and suffering reached today, as active zones of combat have spread to all quarters of the city,” said Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC.
Civilians, he said, are bearing the brunt of the escalating hostilities with hospitals struggling to manage with the influx of wounded people.
Basic services, including water, electricity, and the internet are severely disrupted.
“Phone networks remain operational, but it’s patchy and not helping the humanitarian response and coordination,” said Lemarquis.
To ensure the safety of UN personnel, the mission has begun evacuating staff from Goma “by air and road,” Lacroix said.
However, he noted that despite the challenging environment, the UN’s stabilisation mission, MONUSCO, continues its efforts to protect civilians and stabilise the region.
“That includes disarming combatants in conformity with international humanitarian law. There are significant numbers of civilians and also disarmed combatants currently in various MONUSCO premises,” Lacroix said.
The United Nations is calling for temporary humanitarian pauses to facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians and ensure the delivery of aid.
It welcomed the announcement of a meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, emphasising the importance of regional cooperation to resolve the crisis.
“We look forward to further engagement by the African Union in the efforts that are currently being made with a view to bringing about the cessation of hostilities,” Lacroix said.
“We count on the AU’s involvement in those efforts.”
Meanwhile thousands of families continue to flee the Goma region, carrying what they can of their belongings, as intense fighting continues around them.
