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DR Congo

International Organization for Migration (IOM) in DR Congo (DRC) - Emergency Operations and Humanitarian Coordination Situation Report, September 2017

Attachments

Highlights

  • IOM identifies 198,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 490,000 returnees in 45 per cent of the villages in the Central Kasaï province

  • IOM conducted an intention survey in 6 of the 12 displacement sites located in Kalemie city, in the Tanganyika province

  • IOM supports access to durable solutions for 5,973 IDP households in the North-Kivu province

Situation overview

The security situation in Eastern DR Congo and in the Kasaï region is characterized by recurrent armed and inter-community conflicts. The majority of these conflicts occur in the east and centre of the country and are at the source of a protracted humanitarian crisis and the displacement of approximately 3.7 million individuals country-wide (OCHA), which subsequently generates significant multi-sectorial humanitarian needs.

Since the beginning of the year, armed conflicts are particularly recurrent in the Rutshuru, Masisi, Walikale, South-Lubero and Beni territories. The gradual withdrawal of humanitarian actors from these areas has amplified the vulnerability of individuals affected by the humanitarian crisis. In the past two months, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) facilitated the access to durable solutions for IDPs through site closure operations in six IOM-coordinated displacement sites. In the North-Kivu province, IOM coordinates humanitarian assistance in 24 displacement sites hosting 13,894 households (46,730 individuals).

Inter-community relations in the Tanganyika province have deteriorated since mid 2016. Recurrent ethnic conflicts between the Luba and Twa communities have caused a significant number of victims. More than 20 per cent of the total population in the province is currently displaced. Furthermore, the severity of this ethnic conflict led to the displacement of 179,000 individuals since the beginning of the year, with 47 per cent of the movements registered in the Kalemie territory. Since November 2016, a large majority of the displaced population in this territory has regrouped in spontaneous displacement sites and collective centres in and around Kalemie city.

In the Kasaï region, violence broke out in August 2016 following the uprising of local militia in Kasaï Central. This crisis is characterized by repeated clashes between militia and local security forces, which have subsequently generated inter-community conflicts. Even though the improvement in the local security situation enabled the return of a significant number of displaced persons, the needs in the return areas remain important.