Violence in eastern Congo has displaced thousands of families, with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seizing the key city of Goma last month. The fighting has left hundreds dead and injured, forcing many to flee to displacement camps and seek shelter in churches and schools. Aid workers are struggling to provide assistance amid reports of sexual violence and human rights abuses.
Thousands of families have been displaced by violence in eastern Congo , where Rwanda -backed rebels last month seized the key city of Goma in a blitz offensive in the mineral-rich regionAnna,13, daughter of Zawadi Sifa, carries her young sibling in her latest displaced camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo , Thursday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Sifa's family first made it to a displacement camp in Sake, another town that was then taken by the rebels. They then moved to a camp on the outskirts of the city, but as the rebels made their way there as well, they moved to a parish deeper inside the city, where they sheltered with hundreds of others.
Over the past two weeks, the displacement camps surrounding the city — where over 300,000 people had sought refuge — came under heavy bombardment from the fighting between the rebels and the army, UNHCR spokesperson Matt Saltmarsh said. Sifa first fled her village of Kasharo in 2012. She eventually went back but when fighting intensified two years ago, she fled with her family to Sake, their first displacement camp.
“Many of these places are still conflict zones or lack basic services like housing, clean water," said Rose Tchwenko, Mercy Corps country director.But U.N. human rights experts dispute those claims — they say the situation is dangerous, especially for women and girls amid reports of sexual violence, targeted killings, forced conscription and arbitrary arrests.
CONFLICT DISPLACEMENT RWANDA CONGO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousandsCongo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma.
Read more »
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousandsCongo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma.
Read more »
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousandsCongo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma. At least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers have been killed in the fighting that also displaced thousands of civilians.
Read more »
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousandsThe M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the border with Rwanda in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, the provincial capital.
Read more »
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousandsCongo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians.
Read more »
Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they’ve captured the key city of GomaVideo showed inmates escaping a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels entered the eastern city of Goma. Thousands of civilians and Congolese soldiers fled to neighboring Rwanda in the latest escalation of conflict in the region.
Read more »