Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu - Scale up Response Report (Reporting Period July - December 2023)

HIGHLIGHTS

The humanitarian situation in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri remained precarious due to the intensification of armed attacks against civilians and the resumption of clashes between non-state armed groups and the army. As of 31 December 2023, 5.69 million people were registered as displaced in the three provinces: 2.52 million in North Kivu, 1.63 million in Ituri and 1.55 million in South Kivu. Women make up about 51 per cent of the displaced population. More than 90 per cent of these displacements are the result of armed attacks and clashes. Despite the upsurge in clashes, humanitarian actors continued to provide multi-sectoral assistance to vulnerable populations.

In North Kivu province, fighting between the M23 rebels and the FARDC, supported by community self-defence groups (Wazalendo), has exacerbated violence in Masisi and Rutshuru territories, forcing thousands of residents to move to safer areas on the outskirts of Goma. The armed conflicts have displaced some 156,000 people registered in the alerts, mainly in the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyiragongo and Beni. Since the activation of the system-wide scale-up, nearly 890,000 people have been registered as displaced, particularly in these territories.

In Ituri province, armed groups intensified their attacks in the Djugu, Irumu and Mambasa regions, leading to new population displacements. In December 2023, some 97,000 newly displaced people were documented in alerts following attacks by armed groups in the Mahagi, Djugu, Mambasa and Aru regions. Nearly 332,000 people have been displaced in Ituri province since the activation of the scale up response.

South Kivu province was affected by localised attacks, with at least 26,000 people reportedly displaced in the Kalehe and Shabunda territories. Between July and December, some 334,000 people were displaced in the districts of Kalehe, Shabunda, Walungu, Kabare, Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira. In December 2023, the province was hit by torrential rains that caused enormous human and material damage. According to humanitarian actors, more than 35,000 people were affected, with almost 5,400 houses destroyed, causing the death of 50 people in the worst-affected areas, including the cities of Bukavu and Uvira and several other areas such as Kiliba, Rusabagi, Nyange, Kamituga, Kalehe and Bushushu, Hombo.

In December, humanitarian actors reached 1.11 million people in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Since the activation of the system-wide response, 3.9 million beneficiaries have received assistance, representing a coverage rate of 77 per cent of the target population in the three provinces out of a target of 5.11 million persons. Lack of funding, physical access challenges and security constraints have forced many humanitarian partners to reduce or partially suspend their activities. Several cluster partners have indicated that they do not have funding beyond December 2023 to continue the response.