Médecins Sans Frontières - Living conditions in Rhoe Camp, DR Congo

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB115564

Date taken / Date Recorded 21/12/2021 8:00 PM

Country Democratic Republic of Congo

Detailed location Djugu territory, Ituri region, north-eastern DR Congo

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Alexis Huguet

Copyright Alexis Huguet

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Project section OCG

Editor's rating ★★★★★★ (B)

Maximum Size 4500px × 3000px 5.23 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist The Ituri region has returned to violence since the end of 2017, mainly in its northern part, the territory of Djugu. Between 1999 and 2003, an inter-community conflict had claimed tens of thousands of victims until the intervention of a European force. This conflict opposed two communities, the Lendu and the Hema, in this province rich in gold and oil. The Codeco armed group is best known as a pro-Lendu militia, while the regular Congolese army (FARDC) mainly supports the Hema. This new conflict, worthy of a "crime against humanity" according to the United Nations, has displaced tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the violence.

Regularly plagued by violence, the Drodo health zone suffered a multitude of particularly deadly attacks between 12 and 28 November 2021. Four successive attacks of unprecedented violence hit the sites of Tché, Drodro Parish, Luko and Ivo. This escalation of violence continues to deteriorate the humanitarian and security situation of the IDP sites in the area, increasing the vulnerability and isolation of the population.

After months of inter-communal violence and clashes, the security situation in the Drodro health zone is therefore experiencing an upsurge in violence, exacerbating humanitarian needs. As a result, more than 40,000 people have been forced to move to the Rhoe displacement site in the Blukwa State health area, an area that is difficult to access and where humanitarian actors have a reduced presence due to security concerns. These 40,000 newly displaced people are in addition to the 21,458 displaced people already settled in this existing site since 2019, and are left with little humanitarian assistance.

These repeated acts of violence against the population are violations of international humanitarian law and prevent humanitarians to access populations. It is not up to the humanitarian community to find a way out of this recurrent clashes between communities. The Congolese state and its international partners need to look for political solutions rather than go for a resolution by military force.