About 2 million people in Ituri region in DRC have so far been displaced by ongoing armed insurgency since 2021 according to a report by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA deplores the increase in armed attacks in the province of Ituri, which has led to an increase in displaced populations in this part of the DRC.
In a report made public on March 25, it revealed that between January 2021 and February 2024, 1.8 million people were registered as displaced, including 700,000 from the Djugu territory.
“As of February 29, state services and humanitarian partners estimate the number of newly displaced people within the province at more than 42,000. This brings the displaced population to 1.8 million between January 2021 and February 2024 (cumulative total over three years). The territory of Djugu alone has more than 700,000 displaced people, or around 40% of the total displaced people in the province. On the other hand, more than 710,000 people have returned to their places of origin over the last 18 months,” specifies the report.
As for Irumu territory, between February 28 and March 3, 2024, non-state armed groups killed 18 people in a series of attacks against civilians in several localities of Boga and Komanda. At least ten people were kidnapped in these two areas by elements of armed groups.
In the territories of Mahagi and Mambasa, the report highlights that more than twenty schools are used as shelters by displaced people and this situation disrupts the education of more than 8,000 children.
OCHA also denounces armed violence in the Drodro and Lita health zone. It maintains that insecurity in these areas prevents humanitarian providers from carrying out their operations properly.
“Since March 6, this deterioration of the security situation has forced at least 10 humanitarian partners to temporarily suspend their operations in Drodro. However, they maintained a minimal presence on the ground to carry out certain essential activities. Humanitarian access has become increasingly restricted. Armed men blocked the passage on at least four main roads, preventing the movements of humanitarian workers. More than 99,000 people are thus cut off from humanitarian assistance in the health zones of Lita and Drodro, including more than 43,000 people displaced in the Rhoe site,” explains the report.
OCHA DRC also highlights the progress made, particularly in the territories of Djugu and Irumu, where more than 91,000 people have benefited from cash assistance.
As of January 2024, humanitarian partners have provided vital assistance to around 1.7 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
