DR CONGO

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the world's deadliest conflict since World War II, resulting in the deaths of more than 5.4 million people. Fuelled by struggles for political power and mineral wealth, fighting has flared regularly since 1998, most recently in the eastern Kivu provinces.

In North Kivu alone, more than 1.8 million people have been displaced over the past two years. Most have crowded into squalid camps around the provincial capital, Goma. Thousands more have fled into the bush or crossed into western Uganda. Robbed of their land, livelihoods and support networks, these families are highly vulnerable to exploitation, violence and disease.

UNHCR runs three camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) near the city of Goma where families receive high energy biscuits, plastic sheeting, building materials and a plot of land on which to erect a provisional shelter.

UNHCR also provides accommodation and relief for Congolese refugees crossing into Uganda. During the fighting season (September-December) an Emergency Response Team is stationed at Ugandan border crossings to register new arrivals and provide hot meals, water, sanitation, emergency shelter and medical care. From there, families can choose to be transferred to refugee facilities further inside Uganda, such as Nakivale refugee settlement.

Your donation today can provide shelter and relief for a family who has fled with nothing.

The DRC has been in crisis for so long that it doesn’t receive a great deal of media coverage, but for the thousands who are struggling to survive, the crisis couldn’t be more real. Below is a selection of some of the more recent articles in the media and from UNHCR’s news team which highlight present concerns.

UNHCR chief urges the world not to forget the displaced in eastern Congo

LRA terrorises DRC after Uganda crackdown

Thousands Flee From LRA Attacks In DRC