Congo: Displaced people caught between conflict and crisis

People who are displaced within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) face a significant dilemma. 

Those who ended up in overcrowded camps around Goma in North Kivu province are experiencing deteriorating conditions and food shortages, prompting them to return to the homes they fled due to fighting in the country's conflict-hit east.

However, they find often find themselves in danger in their local villages and end up returning to the camps out of desperation.

"I lived in the camp for over a year. We suffered a lot and had too little food," one affected Congolese told DW.

Even after his return, he struggled to survive on a daily basis, as the worsening situation led to increased hardship and looting.

He is not facing this dilemma alone. Hundreds of people are currently being forced to return to their home villages despite the dangers, due to the poor supply situation in the camps. 

The struggle against M23 rebels and the plight of the displaced

On the border with Rwanda in eastern Congo, the Congolese army is engaged in conflict with rebels from the M23 rebel group, one of more than 120 armed groups that have been fighting for a share of the region's gold and other mineral resources — which include major deposits of copper, gold and diamonds — committing mass killings in the process.

For years, Congo, the United Nations and Western countries have accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels in order to control the region's lucrative mineral resources. Rwanda has repeatedly denied the accusations. 

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on Wednesday called on the international community to sanction Rwanda for its role in "destabilizing" his country, as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"The resurgence of terrorist group M23, supported by Rwanda, has provoked a humanitarian crisis without precedent," Tshisekedi said, adding more than 7 million people in the DRC had been internally displaced by the fighting. 

The conflict, which has been going on for years, has created the highest number of internally displaced persons in Africa, particularly in the areas around Goma — but also in the provinces of Ituri and North and South Kivu, said Alex Vines, Africa program director at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

"This is a serious crisis that requires more international support," Vines told DW, adding that the international community is largely indifferent to the unimaginable suffering in eastern Congo.

Struggle for peace amid humanitarian crisis

In recent weeks, however, there have been hopes of an end to the spiral of violence: ceasefire agreements between Congo and Rwanda came into force on August 4. 

And on September 9 and 10, representatives from both sides met in Luanda under the mediation of Angola. The aim was to reach a peace deal to end the conflict in eastern Congo. But Vines pointed out that the ceasefire was not holding. 

Earlier this month, there was another militia attack in which more than a dozen villagers were killed in north eastern Congo, according to media reports. Rebels from the Cooperative for the Diversion of Congo (CODECO), a loose association of militia groups, killed at least 20 people with guns and machetes in the Djugu area, local chief Jean-Marie Makpela told the Associated Press news agency.

Following the brutal attack, the civil society coordinator in the region, Dieudonne Lossa, appealed to the authorities in Ituri to put an end to this "repeated tragedy."

One 43-year-old described her four-month ordeal. Together with her four children, she finally arrived in her home village, Kibirizi, which is under the control of M23 rebels.

"It was a life of extreme pain," she told DW. "We slept in churches. Since our return, we have been exposed to looting every night. We live in constant fear and are totally insecure."

Displaced families face conflict, poverty and an mpox outbreak

Many displaced people reported similar experiences.

Another man affected by the humanitarian crisis said that a dignified life is not possible in the displaced persons' camps due to the poverty. "That's why we decided to return home. But the rebels are fighting here too, even in our fields."

The situation in North Kivu remains critical. While the conflicts continue and the camps are emptying, thousands of families are trapped between war and misery. 

Additionally, Congo is the epicenter of an mpox outbreak across Africa. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved an mpox vaccine primarily for adults earlier this month. The shot is already being used in Congo and several other African countries.

Other vaccines are in the testing phase. Experts estimate that around 10 million doses could be necessary to contain the mpox outbreak.

Tejshri Shah, director general of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), emphasized that it would be impossible to contain the virus in the camps for displaced people — unless efforts are made to address the needs of the people and improve the appalling living conditions with which they have been struggling. 

Ruth Alonga in Goma contributed reporting

This article was originally published in German