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DR Congo

UNHCR Emergency Update on Volcano Nyiragongo #6 I 24 August - 20 September 2021

Attachments

Highlights

  • According to local authorities in Goma, 4,044 houses and 130 fields were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22, 2021.

  • UNHCR distributed plastic sheeting to 4,535 displaced households living in collective centres in Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province.

  • 93 shelters in Kanyaruchinya site, Nyiragongo territory, were destroyed by heavy winds and rain on August 23, 2021.

Situation Overview

  • The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on 22 May and earthquakes in the following days have destroyed over 4,044 houses and 130 fields according to government estimates. Over 364,000 individuals fled to the surrounding areas of Sake, Minova, Kiwanja in Rutshuru, Bukavu, as well as to Rwanda, among which most have since then returned home.

  • In Nyiragongo area, about 28,508 persons affected by the volcano eruption are currently being hosted in five collective sites (Bujari, Mujoga, Kanyaruchinya, Kayembe and Kanyanja schools) coordinated by local authorities. The living conditions remain precarious, and the populations are in need of shelter, clean water, food and other assistance.

  • 7,146 people (1,264 households) remain displaced outside Goma in the Territories of Masisi and Rutshuru, according to the protection monitoring carried out by UNHCR’s partner INTERSOS. In recent weeks, 3,021 persons (604 households) have returned to Goma, due to ongoing violence and conflict in the displacement areas.

  • Displacement caused by the eruption has worsened the already dire living conditions for local communities in Masisi and Rutshuru Territories, who accommodate hundreds of displaced families who have fled their homes because of conflict.

  • Heavy rains at the end of August have damaged hundreds of homes and destroyed livelihoods and fields affecting at least 1,500 displaced persons and exacerbating the already existing vulnerabilities of the volcano’s survivors and their hosts. 93 shelters built in the Kanyaruchinya site by the authorities were also destroyed by winds and heavy rains and are currently being repaired.

  • UNHCR is working with state actors to biometrically register affected populations and in site planning, taking into account the specific needs of the persons affected by the eruption, including host communities and displaced people.