Children Pay a Heavy Price as Clashes Resume Between the M23 and the Congolese Army in Eastern DR Congo

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 has more internally displaced people that any other country in the world, Over 4.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and are struggling to survive with little access to food, shelter or healthcare – half of them are children. Civilians are being subjected to indiscriminate bombardment and traumatising sexual violence. The use of heavy weapons in populated areas has killed and injured many people, including children. 

“World Vision in 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.   With the intensification of fighting on the outskirts of Goma, many schools in the city have closed, jeopardising the education and development of several hundred children in this region of the DRC.

The ongoing violence has severely limited short-term humanitarian access, leaving displaced populations in desperate need of shelter, food, drinking water and medical care. Many are seeking refuge in overcrowded host communities, makeshift shelters and public buildings. Already dire humanitarian conditions are worsening rapidly, and access to these vulnerable populations is severely limited by insecurity, roadblocks and the presence of violent armed actors. 

“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.

Notes to editor 

SPOKESPEOPLE AVAILABLE:

National Director: Aline Napon  -Aline_Napon@wvi.org

East Zone Director: David Munkley – David_Munkley@wvi.org

SHR Director: Patrick Saah – Patrick_Saah@wvi.org

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.  World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

For more information, please visit www.wvi.org/congo or follow us on X @World_VisionRdc