Renewed violence in Eastern DRC takes its toll on children
Press Statement, 24 January 2025
International aid agency, World Vision, is seriously concerned for the safety of children amidst escalating violence in the east of the DRC. Artillery attacks and gunfire are currently decimating areas very near Goma, where children fleeing conflict in other parts of DRC are currently sheltering.
DRC is among the top three countries with the highest number of internally displaced people in the world, with over 6.9 million individuals forced to flee their homes. Tragically, half of these displaced people are children, who are facing severe hardships with little access to food, shelter, or healthcare. Civilians, including vulnerable children, are enduring indiscriminate bombardment and traumatising sexual violence. The use of heavy weapons in populated areas has caused countless deaths and injuries, with children suffering the most from this violence.
“World Vision is on the ground and is supporting thousands of people who have run towards Goma to escape conflict. On the faces of these women, children and men, we see despair, fear, rage and powerlessness. They have been forced to leave their homes without knowing where they are going to stay or what they are going to eat. In short, they are fleeing simply to save their lives."
"Many of these displaced people are children. These children are experiencing atrocities that even grown-ups find hard to bear. These children, these women, these displaced people, need our help,” said Aline Napon, World Vision DRC National Director.
Persistent armed tensions between the Congolese army (Forces armées de la RDC - FARDC) and the M23 have forced families to flee their homes and seek safety at sites around the town of Goma in North Kivu and also in South Kivu. As fighting intensifies on the outskirts of Goma, many schools in the city have been forced to close, putting the education and development of hundreds of children in the DRC at serious risk.
The ongoing violence has drastically limited humanitarian access, leaving displaced populations in urgent need of shelter, food, clean water, and medical care. Many are seeking refuge in overcrowded host communities, makeshift shelters, and public buildings. With the humanitarian situation already dire, conditions are worsening rapidly, and access to these vulnerable populations is increasingly restricted by insecurity, roadblocks, and armed groups. Immediate action is urgently needed to address these escalating needs.
“There is very little about this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe online or in the media. The lives of the children of DRC are just as precious as the lives of children from every other country. We are begging the international community to hear their cries and act quickly."
"World Vision urges all parties to the conflict to protect innocent civilians and provide safe and unhindered humanitarian access. Governments, humanitarian agencies and local communities must work together to meet the urgent needs of women, children and men. They have endured enough; they have lost enough. They deserve peace, they deserve safety, and they deserve hope. Let’s do everything in our power to deliver it for them,” said Ms Napon.
ENDS-
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