Sawt Falasteen - Over 230,000 flee eastern DR Congo violence since January 1: UN

The resource-rich eastern provinces of North and South Kivu have been plagued by conflicts for three decades, with the Rwanda-backed M23 emerging as one of the most powerful armed groups in recent years.

Considered a "terrorist movement" by Kinshasa, M23 has seized vast swathes of territory in eastern DRC since 2021 and earlier this month took control of the town of Masisi in North Kivu.

"Escalating clashes between non-state armed groups and the Congolese army in North and South Kivu provinces are intensifying one of the world's most alarming yet under-reported humanitarian crises," Eujin Byun, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told reporters in Geneva.

The conflict, she warned, was "marked by widespread human rights violations and massive forced displacement".

Byun pointed out that the two provinces were already home to 4.6 million displaced people, making DR Congo "one of the world's largest hosts for people uprooted within their own borders".

Residents of two villages in the region, Kabingo and Ruzirantaka, told AFP by telephone there were clashes and explosions from heavy weapons on Friday.

- 'Indiscriminate bombings' -

Byun said intense fighting in the Masisi and Lubero territories had forced around 150,000 people to flee their homes between January 1 and 6 alone.

Many thousands had returned home during a temporary lull on January 4, but were forced to flee again days later as fresh fighting broke out, the UN said.

In South Kivu's Fizi territory, the local government had asked for help from the international community and was warning that 84,000 people had taken refuge there.

Byun warned that civilians were enduring "indiscriminate bombings and sexual violence" and that children were also in the firing line.

"Already, dire humanitarian conditions are worsening rapidly, and access to these vulnerable populations is severely restricted by insecurity, roadblocks and the presence of violent armed actors," Byun said.

UNHCR said it was ready to provide assistance as soon as access was restored, but stressed more funds were needed.

The agency has said it needs $226 million to provide aid in DR Congo this year. So far, less than 10 percent of that amount has been received.

C.AbuSway--SF-PST