FIGHTING IN EASTERN DR CONGO HAS DISPLACED 200,000 PEOPLE

Sat 18 January 2025:

About 200,000 people have been displaced in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), due to intense fighting between DRC military and armed groups since November 2024, the World Food Program (WFP) said Wednesday.

The fighting, involving rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) and other armed groups which violated a ceasefire deal beginning on Aug. 4, 2024, resulted in the displacement of almost 200,000 people so far, said the WFP, noting that incidents of inter-community violence are reported across the eastern province of North Kivu and some other provinces.

The humanitarian situation, marked by protracted crises and aggravated by increased conflict, continues to deteriorate, particularly in the east, the UN agency warned.

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According to a recent analysis, the DRC remains one of the most food-insecure nations globally, with an estimated 25.6 million people experiencing food insecurity, including 6.2 million individuals in the three eastern provinces, namely North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, facing acute food insecurity.

In response to the escalating crisis, the WFP said it has ramped up emergency operations to assist internally displaced people, refugees and host communities in the most affected provinces.

Last Thursday, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the DRC Sylvain Ekenge confirmed the reoccupation of the key town of Masisi in North Kivu by the M23 rebellion, while reassuring the army’s determination to liberate the occupied parts.

“The war always evolves in fits and starts. We can lose a battle, but the final victory will be Congolese, I assure you,” Ekenge told the press.

-Xinhua

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