UNHCR / DRC INTERNALLY DISPLACED PROTECTION

Thousands flee wave of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:57
• Production Date: 16 February 2024
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: 3174578
• Parent Id: 3174578
• Alternate Title: unifeed240216z

Description

STORY: UNHCR / DRC INTERNALLY DISPLACED PROTECTION
TRT: 01:57
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: SWAHILI / NATS

DATELINE: 14 FEBRUARY 2024, GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Shotlist

1. Pan left, artillery fire in distance / internally displaced settlement
2. Wide shot, makeshift settlement on roadside
3. Traveling shot, various of spontaneous settlements for displaced people
4. Various shots, people on the move
5. Pan left, spontaneous settlements for displaced people
6. Various shots, Lazaro and his children at settlement
7. Various shots, people on the move
8. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Lazaro, Internally Displaced Person:
“I fled from Mushake to Sake. After three months, the situation got worse again, I fled back here to Goma yesterday.”
9. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Lazaro, Internally Displaced Person:
“Along the way, we encountered several difficult situations, including bombing raids. We lost everything, of course, because we fled suddenly when the bombs started ringing, and we fled all the way to here.”
10. Pan left, internally displaced settlement

Storyline

Thousands flee wave of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations.

In the wake of the heightened violence last week between government forces and non-state armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply concerned by the dire consequences for civilians, including an estimated 135,000 internally displaced people fleeing the town of Sake towards the nearby provincial capital Goma.

UNHCR and partners are deeply alarmed by reports of bombs falling on civilian locations, including in the Zaina site in Sake and the Lushagala site in Goma, where as many as 65,000 internally displaced people are sheltering, raising significant concerns for their safety. The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations, threatening more casualties and the destruction of buildings used as communal shelters.

The presence of unexploded ordnance poses a particular threat to children. Since the first week of February, at least 15 civilians have been killed and 29 injured around Goma and Sake. The indiscriminate bombing is amplifying the strain on already limited resources to accommodate 800,000 internally displaced individuals in the region, and 2.5 million displaced across North Kivu Province.

The violence continues to restrict access to isolated populations in Masisi territory and Rutshuru, compounding the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies in delivering essential assistance. With few viable options currently for safe passage from Goma, the growing displaced communities in the town face rapidly deteriorating conditions.