Conflicts: Violence in Mozambique and DR Congo displaces hundreds of thousands

Conflicts
Violence in Mozambique and DR Congo is displacing hundreds of thousands

The United Nations and the Red Cross are deeply concerned about civilians in two African countries: Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They described growing violence that was driving more and more people to flee. They barely have what they need to survive. The UN and the Red Cross appealed to governments and other donors to give money to help people better.

According to the UN children’s agency Unicef, almost 100,000 people were displaced in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado in February alone, more than half of them children. In total, more than half a million people are now displaced there. Many children would be separated from their families in the chaos of the flight. They are then particularly at risk of being kidnapped by armed groups and used as child soldiers or for sexual exploitation, said Guy Taylor, Unicef ​​spokesman for Mozambique. Many families are hungry and traumatized. Cholera is spreading. Jihadist insurgents have been fighting against internationally supported government troops in the province since 2017.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, conflicts between armed groups have escalated in the provinces of North and South Kivu, reported Pierre Kremer, deputy regional director for Africa of the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Since March 2022, more than 1.6 million people have been displaced there. The conditions under which people have to live are devastating. “I saw a grandmother who lost her son and daughter-in-law in the conflict, had to leave everything behind and fled to a camp with seven grandchildren,” said Kremer. Getting water, food and the bare essentials for life is a struggle.

dpa