Elizabeth Tan, UNHCRThe director of the International Protection Agency, said on Friday at its regular press conference in Geneva that the agency was concerned about an increase in attacks against civilians, including those living in remote locations. points for evacuees.
One of the worst examples occurred in February of this year at the Plaine Savo camp in Ituri province. An armed NGO group killed at least 62 people and wounded more than 40 others. Since then, the attacks have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people taking shelter at displacement sites or trying to return to their homes.
50,000 violation of rights
So far this year, UNHCR has recorded more than 50,000 violations of the rights of civilians in the DRC, including refugees and internally displaced persons.
The UNHCR states that States have a legal and moral responsibility to allow those fleeing an ongoing conflict to seek safety, to be granted asylum, if appropriate, and not to forcibly repatriated refugees.
The march of warrior M23
The escalating armed conflict further aggravated the situation. Since October 20, 188,000 new people have been displaced due to fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese Army.
An estimated 5.6 million Congolese were internally displaced before the violence escalated. Another million people have found refuge in 22 countries in Africa.
The majority of the displaced, 4.9 million, have been internally displaced by conflict across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri while nearly 700,000 have been displaced due to inclement weather.
With less than six weeks to go until the end of 2022, UNHCR has received only 43% of the money it needs to help those most in need in the DRC.
