Via Actualite.cd: DRC: 11 NGOs warn of "catastrophic" situation of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Ituri. The Google translation:
Humanitarian Action Against Hunger, AVSI, Danish Refugee Council, Intersos, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Solidarity International, Tearfund, Trócaire and Welthungerhilfe have issued an alert on the need for funding to meet the needs of many hundreds of thousands of people affected by the resurgence of violence in the Djugu and Mahagi territories in Ituri province.
These 11 organizations report that most people who have fled the violence live in appalling conditions lacking clean water, medicines and sanitation.
Others spend the night cramped in public places, such as churches and schools, or try to survive in overcrowded makeshift camps exposed to heavy rains and life-threatening diseases.
In some cases, 500 people have to share a single toilet.
These living conditions also increase the risk of sexual violence against women and girls.
"The situation is catastrophic. Many children are malnourished. Most people lost everything and witnessed the worst atrocities. Now they are facing a terrible dilemma: finding themselves with nothing to eat or risking their lives by returning to their fields," confirms Corinne N'Daw, country director Oxfam in the DRC.
According to Benjamin Vienot, Country Director of Action Against Hunger in the DRC, humanitarian organizations have not had sufficient funding to cover needs and they still face insecurity in this part of the country.
"Humanitarian organizations have not been able to reach all those who needed help during the last crisis in 2018 due to lack of funding and insecurity, which made access to the people extremely difficult. We are now faced with an equally dark picture," he added.
Ten months after the beginning of 2019, DR Congo received only 35% of the necessary funds, in a country where 15.6 million people are affected by severe food insecurity.
Other parts of the country are also beset by the humanitarian crisis. These are the provinces of South Kivu, Tanganyika and Kasai.
