Since 2017, Ituri Province, particularly the territory of Djugu, has been plagued by persistent insecurity fuelled by communal rivalries and land disputes between communities.
In the Fataki health zone, recent clashes between the CRP and the FARDC have triggered a new wave of violence and displacement. Already weakened by years of instability and the presence of displacement sites such as Plaine Savo, the area is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis. This site, located near Bule, is reported to have reached nearly 100,000 displaced people by early February 2026, a new wave of displacement adding to a camp where essential services are lacking. Several villages in the Bule and Salama health zones have been emptied of their inhabitants, whilst community tensions remain high throughout the area.
These clashes are accompanied by serious human rights violations and are exacerbating the humanitarian situation. Access to healthcare remains very limited. The Fataki General Referral Hospital (HGR) remains operational, but reaching it remains difficult and risky, especially at night, due to persistent insecurity on the roads. Medical referral services operate irregularly, severely limiting patients’ ability to access secondary care. More broadly, access to primary healthcare is very restricted, care for survivors of sexual violence is almost non-existent, and healthcare facilities face frequent shortages of supplies, particularly nutritional items, linked, among other things, to insecurity. Both displaced populations and host communities have very limited or non-existent access to several other essential services, notably food security as well as water, hygiene and sanitation.

Despite the presence of humanitarian organisations in the Fataki health zone and at the Plaine Savo displacement site, aid remains insufficient in the face of rapidly increasing needs. MSF is intervening to address urgent medical and humanitarian needs. Activities include community and primary healthcare consultations, the management of sexual violence at the Plaine Savo site, and the strengthening of care for nutritional and surgical emergencies, particularly for the wounded at Fataki General Hospital. The aim is to maintain access to healthcare despite security constraints and to mitigate the consequences of the conflict for local populations.