The Rusayo displacement site, a dozen kilometers from Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is host to around 85,000 displaced people, who have fled the fighting between the M23, the Congolese army (FARDC) and other armed groups. Extremely precarious living conditions in the displacement sites around Goma, including the lack of food, are putting people’s health and lives at risk. Malnutrition is becoming a growing concern among displaced people with many families who can afford only one meal per day, often only constituted of sweet potatoes or porridge.

MSF set up a primary healthcare clinic on the Rusayo site as of April 2023, offering free medical cares for the population. Each day, an average of 400 consultations are delivered as cares for victims of sexual violence and malnourished children.
Due to the lack of food distributions on the sites’, displaced women are forced to go outside the camps to seek food and therefore expose to higher violence risks. MSF team in Rusayo is treating 20 victims of sexual violence on average per day, most of whom report having been assaulted on their way to the fields.

Enhancing humanitarian assistance, including food distribution, on the IDP sites is crucial to avoid further deterioration of the nutritional status of displaced people and reduce exposure to risks.