Chioma Umeha
Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) has spread to eastern ‘no-go’ zone surrounded by rebels, UN
agencies have warned.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), warned that rebel violence in eastern DRC was escalating
inside the vast country’s Ebola-hit North Kivu province, putting millions at
risk.
“Thousands of civilians have fled their burned-out
villages, bringing reports of brutal attacks,’’ Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson
for UNHCR, said in Geneva.
The latest report followed reports that a case of
Ebola infection and one suspected case have been found in one town in the area,
Oicha, which is surrounded by armed groups.
The disease has killed more than 60 people and
infected dozens more in recent weeks.
Forced displacement in this part of the country
remains massive and it is estimated that more than a million people are
displaced in North Kivu.
This is the highest concentration of internally
displaced people (IDPs) in the DRC, where an estimated half a million people
have been forced from their homes this year alone.
Also, Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General
of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said the discovery of Ebola infection
in the hard-to-reach part of eastern DRC could mark a “pivotal” point in the
response to the deadly disease.
“It really was the problem we were anticipating
and the problem … we were dreading.
“Our teams have responded this week. They’ve had
to reach Oicha with armed escorts.
“Once they reach Oicha, they are able to move
within Oicha town more freely, because the town itself is a yellow zone from a
security perspective,’’ Salama explained.
Mahecic said UNHCR was particularly worried about
the deteriorating situation in the Ebola-hit northern territory of Ben, where
Oicha town is located.
The area is home to some 1.3 million people and
spiralling conflict has left the population living there, virtually in a state
of siege since October 2017.
Reports of increased human rights violations and
restrictions of humanitarian access are also frequent.
Estimates are that more than 100 armed groups are
active in the province, continually terrorising the population.
In spite of a large-scale military offensive of
the Congolese Army against one of the main rebel groups, the Allied Democratic
Forces (ADF) since January, there has been no let-up in the violence.
Mahecic said: “Despite security challenges, a
UNHCR team accessed the area north of Beni, earlier this month, and conducted
humanitarian assessments in Oicha and Eringeti districts.
“Residents told our staff about brutal attacks
against the civilians carried out with machetes.
“Stories of massacres, extortion, forced
displacement and other human rights violations are frequent’’.
Further, sexual and gender-based violence is
rampant across the Beni territory while many children are being recruited as
child soldiers.
The violence is particularly rampant in the
so-called “triangle of death,” between the towns of Eringeti, Mbau and Kamango,
on the Uganda-DRC border, as well as in the towns of Beni, Oicha and Mavivi.
UNHCR said it was scaling up its capacity in North
Kivu to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.
“We are arranging additional emergency shelters
and other humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the displaced in Beni.
“While UNHCR’s humanitarian response is
continuing, despite the outbreak of Ebola, the prevailing security situation
and drastic funding shortfall severely hamper our efforts.
“UNHCR’s DRC 2018 appeal totalling $201 million is
only 17 per cent funded,’’ Mahecic explained.
