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	10 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo urgently need aid amidst increased violence by IPC, MSF, Global R2P, NRC, agencies   Mar. 2024   UNICEF and WFP demand action to protect children and unfettered humanitarian access in Eastern DRC.   The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are calling for immediate action to protect children and families caught in the escalating violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where an increasing number of people, including children, have been wounded or killed near makeshift camps.   Both agencies call on all parties to the conflict to prioritize the protection of civilians and allow humanitarian agencies to do their work.   The latest conflict in the Eastern DRC has resulted in catastrophic conditions for the local population. Fierce fighting has, over the past two weeks, moved 25 kilometres’ west of Goma towards the town of Sake, where children and their families are caught in a deadly crossfire.   “Children in DRC need peace now,” said Grant Leaity, UNICEF Representative in the DRC. “We are calling for children to be protected in this war and for an end to this violence through renewed efforts to find a diplomatic solution. We are extremely concerned about the safety of children and their families in and around camps in Goma.”   This has triggered a huge movement of people to already over-crowded displacement camps. An additional 214,950 people have joined the 500,000 people already displaced to areas around Goma. Separately, tens of thousands of others moved towards Minova in South Kivu.   Crucial land routes to facilitate food delivery and other supplies have been cut off, causing shortages and price spikes in Goma’s local markets. The situation further strains families struggling to put food on their tables.   “We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe of massive proportions,” said Peter Musoko, Country Director and Representative for WFP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “Make no mistake: If we do not act now, lives will be lost.”   The increase in violence and displacement is straining resources for both agencies to mount a comprehensive response that includes food, clean water, good sanitation, safe shelter, basic health care, and protective services for women and children.   DRC has become one of the continent’s most significant internal displacement crises, with 6.9 million people displaced, primarily due to conflict in the east. In the last year alone, IOM estimates that 1.6 million people have been displaced.   http://www.wfp.org/news/drcs-hunger-crisis-deepens-families-once-again-flee-fighting http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-urges-immediate-action-amid-heightened-risks-displaced-eastern-dr-congo http://www.wfp.org/news/unicef-and-wfp-demand-action-protect-children-and-unfettered-humanitarian-access-eastern-drc http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2024/hundreds-of-thousands-face-desperate-conditions-as-fighting-surges-in-eastern-dr-congo/ http://www.unhcr.org/africa/news/press-releases/unhcr-urges-protection-civilians-and-aid-access-amid-surging-violence-eastern http://www.icrc.org/en/document/dr-congo-civilians-firing-line-use-heavy-weapons-signals-alarming-new-phase-armed-conflict http://www.icrc.org/en/document/democratic-republic-congo-forgotten-people-north-kivu http://www.wfp.org/stories/eastern-drc-women-and-girls-pay-high-price-ongoing-conflict http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/conflict-drc-over-hundred-thousand-people-without-clean-water-live-disastrous http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/04/un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-concludes-official-visit-drc   20 Dec. 2023   Massive needs everywhere as displacement reaches unprecedented levels in DRC. (MSF)   In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the humanitarian crisis has reached dramatic heights in 2023, with massive levels of violence and displacement.   In North Kivu, armed clashes linked to the resurgence of the M23 armed group have forced up to one million people to flee their homes.   Often overshadowed, the provinces of Ituri and South Kivu are similarly wracked by relentless violence, causing grave repercussions for many people. While the humanitarian situation is catastrophic, aid remains desperately limited, and people’s needs continue to be overwhelmingly unmet.   In a grim milestone, the UN announced in late October that the DRC has nearly seven million people who have been displaced, with around five million concentrated in the eastern part of the country – a record.   In North Kivu, violence between armed groups – the M23 prominent among them – has triggered constant and massive people movements across Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, and Masisi territories. The escalation of the conflict since October this year has only further increased the humanitarian disaster.   "The current situation in the province is just catastrophic" says Germain Lubango Kabemba, MSF country representative in Goma. "Wherever you look now, the urgency to act is there.”   Meanwhile, violence in North Kivu triggered several waves of displacement of people into South Kivu, notably around Minova and the surrounding villages, where the already fragile hygiene conditions led to an increase in cases of cholera. At the same time the closure of health facilities in North Kivu due to the insecurity also forced people who needed ongoing healthcare south.   One third of the people in Ituri are now displaced as a result of years of conflict. People who are living in such prolonged displacement are hit hard, both mentally and physically.   “Ituri is a region where, over the past 30 years, we have seen a major disinvestment in even the most basic medical services and infrastructure, which makes access to any medical services already very problematic without conflict on top,” says Alira Halidou, MSF head of mission in Ituri.   Everyday Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams witness the impact of the dire living conditions for people who have been displaced by the violence. They live in makeshift shelters without essentials like adequate food, safe drinking water or basic sanitation.   They have become extremely vulnerable to illness and infectious diseases such as cholera and measles. Women are particularly exposed to incidents of sexual violence, which we have seen in extremely high numbers.   “The humanitarian needs are everywhere and are massive, but as a medical organisation we can only respond to the most pressing and urgent ones,” says Alira Halidou.   “Today, more than ever before, displaced communities are in dire need of concrete and clear action from international humanitarian organisations in the face of this growing emergency.   “We hear, and are confronted with, the communities’ growing pleas for more aid to meet their most basic needs. While the lack of humanitarian presence in many areas of eastern DRC is unfortunately nothing new, the soaring level of needs we see now should act as a wake-up call.”   Despite MSF’s repeated calls for a mobilisation of aid, progress remains insufficient. The crisis gripping the DRC demands an urgent and united international response. It's time to spotlight the people and communities who need support most and ensure that their voices, including those of our patients, are heard and acknowledged.   http://www.msf.org/drc-massive-needs-everywhere-displacement-reaches-unprecedented-levels http://www.msf.org/latest-portal http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2024/02/12/conflict-western-drc-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-amid-rebel-gains-east   24 Nov. 2024   UNHCR and UNICEF express grave concern over the humanitarian toll of conflict on civilians in eastern DR Congo.   "UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, are greatly alarmed by the escalating crisis unfolding once again in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Violent clashes between non-state armed groups and government forces have forcibly displaced more than 450,000 people in the last six weeks in Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu Province.   "The severity of the crisis is further exacerbated by the limited humanitarian access to those in dire need, primarily due to the obstruction of major routes. Cut off from essential humanitarian aid, approximately 200,000 internally displaced people are currently stranded. Tragically, an additional 100,000 people are anticipated to confront restricted access in the coming days if the current trends of conflict persist.   "The disruption of roads not only impedes the delivery of critical humanitarian aid but also heightens the vulnerability of displaced populations, leaving them without essential resources and protection. Although UNHCR has built shelters in recent months for more than 40,000 people near the provincial capital of Goma, and distributed more than 30,000 kits containing tarps, cooking pots, and blankets, the international community must urgently address the obstruction of humanitarian access to ensure that the nearly 7 million people affected by conflict in eastern DRC receive urgent help.   "The gravity of the situation is underscored by the distressing narrative of displaced people in Sake, who are arriving by the tens of thousands in this town, 35 kilometres west of Goma. Having first been displaced in zones where aid was not accessible, they described to UNHCR’s protection monitors making harrowing choices, including men risking death to feed starving children and women risking rape to collect firewood.   "These stories are underscored by statistics, with protection monitoring reports collected by UNHCR and partners in October showing over 3,000 reported human rights violations in October, nearly double the figure from the previous month. Rape and arbitrary killings feature prominently in these results, along with kidnappings, extortion, and the destruction of property, illustrating a deeply concerning pattern of abuse inflicted upon civilian populations.   "The intensification of violence is having a devastating impact on the lives of children, who are facing an alarming number of serious violations of their rights. The number of overall violations reported against children between July and September 2023, recorded by child protection partners, saw a sharp increase (130 per cent) to 2018 cases on the already high number of violations reported for the first half of the year.   "UN partners and humanitarian actors are urgently scaling up humanitarian and protection assistance to tackle urgent needs stemming from overcrowding and inadequate shelter in spontaneous sites in the eastern provinces, with limited access to food and clean water. Cholera outbreaks continue, signalling concerning limitations of the humanitarian aid currently available.   "UNHCR and UNICEF urgently call on all actors in eastern DRC to stop the violence that is taking an enormous toll on the civilian population. We stand united in our commitment to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the crisis, but the international community must act swiftly to ensure that sufficient resources are mobilized.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unhcr-and-unicef-express-grave-concern-over-humanitarian-toll-civilians-eastern-dr http://www.rescue.org/press-release/drc-women-and-children-most-risk-following-recent-escalation-violence-warns-irc http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-88/en/   Sep. 2023   UN: Humanitarian Situation in Eastern DRC 'Alarming, by Margaret Besheer. (VOA, OCHA)   A senior U.N. official said this week that the humanitarian situation has severely deteriorated in the eastern Congo, where 8 million people need assistance in three provinces and sexual violence has become endemic.   "What we saw and heard was shocking, heartbreaking and sobering," Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy in the U.N. Department of Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters. "We have seen that in the past 18 months, the situation in eastern Congo has deteriorated to an alarming extent."   Wosornu is just back from the region, following a mission with officials from several U.N. agencies and NGOs.   She said 8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, where scores of armed groups terrorize villages. Overall, more than 26 million Congolese across the country need food assistance. In a country with huge numbers of displaced persons, an additional million people have been forcibly displaced since the start of this year.   "This is not business as usual. This is an acute crisis on top of an already super-sized one," said Gabriella Waaijman, humanitarian director for Save the Children Global, who was also part of the mission. "And behind every one of these staggeringly large numbers are individuals enduring immense levels of suffering."   This year, humanitarians have been able to assist about 1.4 million people in Congo but are hampered by insecurity, a lack of access on poor roads and a huge funding shortfall. The United Nations has appealed for $2.3 billion but received only $764 million so far, with just a few months left in the year.   Wosornu said sexual violence is being perpetrated "on a massive and distressing scale."   "In the first six months of 2023 alone, more than 35,000 survivors have sought access to services for gender-based violence across the three provinces alone," she said, adding that the real number is likely higher as survivors often do not report sexual crimes.   The U.N. has warned that such violations may amount to atrocity crimes.   Women and girls are at particular risk from armed men when they search for food, water and firewood in areas around camps for the displaced.   Wosornu said the stories she heard from victims and their families in eastern Congo were "absolutely horrific", adding that the U.N. and its partners are working on prevention and offering psychosocial and medical support to women who have been raped.   Unfortunately, funding for gender-based violence is often the least funded in emergencies, Wosornu said, at around 5%. While protection programs only receive about 10% of donor funds.   http://panzifoundation.org/the-crisis/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/dr-congo-children-killed-injured-abducted-and-face-sexual-violence-conflict-record http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-expresses-grave-concern-protection-people-displaced-violence-eastern-dr http://www.msf.org/struggle-survive-amidst-violence-and-displacement-north-kivu http://reliefweb.int/country/cod http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/   July 2023   The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sounding the alarm on a significant escalation in violence in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   In the past week, at least 40 civilians were killed in the span of three days in attacks by armed groups near the city of Bunia. In Ituri this year, more than 600 civilians have been killed, while some 345,000 people have been displaced.   We strongly condemn this violence and call on all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and human rights principles.   To respond to the urgent needs of people affected, our humanitarian partners have scaled up operations and increased the level of assistance. We and our partners have supported 460,000 people in Ituri in the first quarter of this year.   The current Humanitarian Response Plan for the DRC is only 30 per cent funded. We urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of the DRC and provide the support needed to address this spiraling humanitarian crisis.   http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-geneva-palais-briefing-note-millions-drc-risk-going-hungry-funding-dries http://www.justsecurity.org/87532/the-democratic-republic-of-the-congos-unheard-humanitarian-crisis/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/august/drc-an-unprecedented-crisis-goes-ignored/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-dr-congo-facing-worst-cholera-outbreak-six-years-warns-unicef   June 2023   UN sounds the alarm over rampant violence and rising humanitarian needs in eastern Congo. (OCHA)   The world’s top relief officials have triggered an immediate scale-up of humanitarian operations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following months of relentless violence and rising humanitarian needs, with a focus on the scarcity of food, protection concerns and the spread of treatable diseases in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, as well as in South Kivu.   Last week, nearly fifty people, many of them women and children, were massacred in the Lala displacement site in Ituri in the latest outburst of violence. Thousands more have since fled the site.   “The brutality unleashed by armed groups on local communities and the depth of people’s humanitarian need is unparalleled,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC. “The suffering is immense. Millions of people desperately need humanitarian assistance. We are fully committed to this scale-up in our response.”   The emergency protocols call on all UN humanitarian agencies in the DRC and their international NGO partners to deploy additional capacity and the additional resources required to increase the scale of humanitarian assistance in the region in support of the efforts of the DRC Government and working closely with local partners and organizations.   The UN is also calling for all armed actors active in these provinces to end attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and for the Government of the DRC, which has the primary responsibility for protecting civilians, to increase its efforts to ensure the protection of civilians.   Hunger and malnutrition in the east are growing due to a lethal mix of violence, natural disasters, widespread poverty and lack of basic services. Many rural communities have no choice but to abandon their fields out of fear of attacks. In Ituri, food production has dropped by 25 per cent over the last year alone.   Outbreaks of Ebola, measles, cholera and other diseases have also contributed to the region’s humanitarian crisis.   Since March 2022, 2.8 million people have been forced from their homes in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. DRC now has 6.3 million internally displaced people, the highest number in any African country.   Gender-based violence is rampant with more than 31,000 cases registered in the first three months of 2023 alone. The real number is likely much higher as sexual violence often goes unreported. Grave violations against children are also on the rise, particularly child recruitment, abductions and sexual violence.   Despite the scale of the needs, funding for the humanitarian response remains low. Aid agencies require US$2.25 billion to assist ten million people this year. As of 19 June, the humanitarian response plan is only 28 per cent funded.   "We call on donors to further support, although humanitarian assistance is not a long-term solution," said Bruno Lemarquis. "Alongside humanitarian assistance, we also need much more efforts and investment in early recovery and emergency development programmes to assist communities get back on their feet. But first and foremost, we need the violence to stop."   http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/un-sounds-alarm-over-rampant-violence-and-rising-humanitarian-needs-eastern-congo http://unocha.exposure.co/drc-a-year-of-survival http://www.icrc.org/en/document/democratic-republic-congo-displaced-people-and-host-communities-struggle-obtain-essentials   Apr. 2023   10 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo urgently need aid amidst increased violence.   Renewed violent clashes involving non-state armed groups have exacerbated the hunger and protection crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving 10 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, warned Oxfam, CARE International and the Danish Refugee Council today.   Since the beginning of the year, the ongoing conflicts have killed nearly 1,400 civilians, including women and children. Sexual violence against women and girls is also on the rise, with over 340 cases of sexual violence reported in areas of Kanyaruchinya and Munigi in Niyragongo territory since January 2023 alone.   “Due to the recent violence, hundreds of thousands of farmers across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri are unable to start the planting season to secure food and income, as they have been driven out of their lands and homes. Over 26 million people already do not have enough to eat due to years of conflict and displacement. Continued violence is now pushing them to the brink”, said Justine Gomis Tossou, Oxfam Country Director in DRC.   More than 600,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since violence escalated in June 2022. Hundreds of people are arriving every day and being crammed in crowded makeshift camps. In Lushagala IDP camp, 12km from Goma, the number of families arriving increased from 2,280 to 6,261 in just one week.   This is stretching resources such as clean water and sanitation and increasing the risk of outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera. “Over 59,000 children are malnourished and over 5,000 pregnant women require appropriate nutritional care. With food insecurity, overcrowding in the sites, poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, shortage of drinking water, and lack of access to health care, the likelihood of an increase in the cases of cholera in the makeshift camps is high in Nyiragongo. Conflict hampers access to get much-needed aid to the affected”, said Sidibe Kadidia, Care International Country Director in DRC.   The country already suffers the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa due to the ongoing violence. To date, 5.8 million people across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika provinces - over half of them being women – have been forced to flee their homes. Many have had to move more than once.   Despite the worsening humanitarian situation, only 10.2 percent of the $2.25 billion UN appeal for DRC this year has been funded to date.   The three aid agencies are calling on donors to urgently meet the current UN appeal for DRC to help save lives now. The government of DRC and the international community must work equally on addressing the root cause of the crisis and protecting human rights.   http://www.iom.int/news/nearly-1-million-newly-displaced-drc-first-half-2023-amid-surge-violence http://www.unhcr.org/news/unhcr-deplores-brutal-attacks-displaced-people-dr-congo http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/10-million-people-democratic-republic-congo-urgently-need-aid-amidst-increased-violence http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/unhcr-warns-mounting-needs-dr-congo-forced-displacement-continues http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/unicef-calls-urgent-action-respond-alarming-levels-increasing-sexual-violence-against-girls-and-women-eastern-drc http://www.savethechildren.net/news/drc-remains-epicentre-child-suffering-war-country-tops-world-list-grave-violations-against http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136407 http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-70/en/ http://www.msf.org/democratic-republic-congo-urgent-response-needed-humanitarian-disaster-north-kivu http://www.msf.org/drc-alarming-numbers-sexual-violence-victims-camps-around-goma http://www.icrc.org/en/document/democratic-republic-congo-humanitarian-crisis-north-kivu-escalating http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/dieng-evans-drc-letter/   Nov. 2022   Since 11 November the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s army (FARDC) and fighters from the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group have traded heavy fire in villages near Goma, heightening risks to populations in the capital of North Kivu province. The group’s proximity to Goma has incited panic among inhabitants and caused a fresh wave of mass displacement.   Large-scale clashes between M23 fighters and the FARDC that have been ongoing in North Kivu since March have intensified since 20 October when M23 launched a renewed offensive in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories. Since 20 October at least 188,000 people – primarily women and children – have been displaced in Rutshuru alone. Nearly half of those displaced have gathered in makeshift camps on the outskirts of Goma, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Community leaders near the frontlines in Rutshuru have reported that approximately 60,000 people remain stuck in territory controlled by M23.   Bruno Lemarquis, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC, said, “The clashes of recent weeks have made life even more difficult for tens of thousands of people who, for eight months, have been paying a heavy price. It is important that this violence stops so that civilians can begin to return and resume the course of their lives.”   According to the UN, attacks on communities in Rutshuru have occurred almost daily since the offensive began. Both sides continue to utilize heavy and explosive weapons, routinely attacking civilian infrastructure, including health centers and schools, and causing civilian casualties.   The World Food Programme reported that suspected M23 fighters targeted six primary schools in Rutshuru and Kiwanja between 6-7 November and forcibly took food stocks. Inhabitants and displaced populations in Rutshuru – considered the breadbasket of Goma – are becoming increasingly isolated as M23-controlled territory has expanded since the end of October. The group has won a string of victories and captured nearly all of Rutshuru and Rwanguba health zones, as well as blocked roads that supply Goma, a similar strategy M23 used when capturing the city in 2012. The lives and livelihoods of millions are threatened because of soaring food prices and shortages.   Since March M23 has committed widespread abuses against civilians, including deliberate killings and indiscriminate shelling, among other possible war crimes. All parties to the conflict must respect International Humanitarian Law to prevent further civilian harm. The international community should suspend military assistance to governments found to be supporting the M23 and other abusive armed groups active in eastern DRC. All parties to the conflict must take steps to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis.   Nov. 2022   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called for an urgent de-escalation of tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where more than a dozen civilians have been killed, at least 40 injured and more than 90,000 displaced in days of renewed fighting between the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and the 23 March Movement (M23) armed group.   “The security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is deteriorating rapidly and threatening a human rights disaster,” said the top UN human rights official. “I call for urgent de-escalation of tensions and for all parties to unequivocally choose peace by embracing dialogue. More fighting will only yield more pain and suffering for more people.   “I urge all sides to protect civilians in line with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including by allowing and facilitating unfettered humanitarian access to all in need, and safe exit for civilians out of areas affected by hostilities.”   The High Commissioner also expressed concern about a resurgence in hate speech targeting people based on their ethnicity, as well as a rise in misinformation, disinformation and negative rhetoric against the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).   “The authorities must take all necessary measures to address hate speech no matter to whom it is directed, and to protect journalists and other media workers, some of whom have reported being threatened and harassed since the new round of hostilities began, in a bid to influence their reporting,” Turk said.   30 Oct. 2022   UNICEF: Fighting in eastern DRC is having a devastating impact on children.   UNICEF has expressed its utmost concern about the serious damage to children caused by recent fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).   Violence has intensified over the last week after a period of relative calm, presenting aid agencies with a major humanitarian and logistical challenge.   Thousands of people have been displaced from the towns of Rutshuru and Kiwanja on the eastern side of the country, near the border with Rwanda and Uganda.   Many of those displaced are children – some unaccompanied - traveling on foot or by overladen motorcycles towards the city of Goma and other areas to flee the fighting.   It is estimated that over the course of a week about 40,000 people have been displaced in Rutshuru territory including about 6,500 people who are reported to have fled to Uganda.   That is in addition to about 200,000 people who were displaced over the last year before the latest surge in violence.   UNICEF is calling on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and to protect children in particular.   “The latest fighting is having a devastating impact on children and their families,” said UNICEF’s Goma Office head Jean Metenier. “They have been forced to flee their homes with only their most essential possessions. While some displaced people can live with family members thousands of people have been rendered homeless. “That is why UNICEF is working around the clock to provide assistance to children and their families.”   UNICEF and partner NGOs are providing access to safe water and sanitation, child protection, essential emergency household goods, medicine, nutrition and emergency education to displaced families as they move to safer locations.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/drc-turk-urges-de-escalation-protection-civilians-following-renewed http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-fighting-eastern-drc-having-devastating-impact-children http://www.acaps.org/country/drc/special-reports#container-1845 http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130132 http://news.un.org/en/news/region/africa http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/01/fighting-eastern-congo-puts-civilians-risk-again http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1155972/?iso3=COD   * While an upsurge of violence in North Kivu has recently made headlines, a hidden crisis is enveloping neighbouring Ituri Province, where civilians face extreme daily violence that has forced 1.5 million to flee their homes:   http://www.unhcr.org/spotlight/2023/01/no-escape-for-civilians-trapped-in-eastern-dr-congos-cycle-of-violence/ http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/unhcr-concerned-conflicts-toll-hundreds-thousands-displaced-eastern-dr-congo http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/Statement_Ituri_FINAL.pdf   July 2022   UNHCR gravely concerned by death toll of displaced in DR Congo’s east.   UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened and gravely concerned by the accumulating death toll and suffering of civilians, including forcibly displaced people, in brutal attacks in DR Congo’s eastern provinces.   This unbearable situation is continuing to escalate and must no longer be ignored.   This month, simultaneous attacks by armed groups in Ituri Province have left 11 people dead and 250 homes looted and burned. Between February and June this year, UNHCR and partners recorded over 800 deaths from firearm attacks and machete raids on local communities in Ituri. At least 715 of these victims had been sheltering in internal displacement sites or were killed as they returned home having previously fled violence.   In June alone, 97 returning or displaced people were killed in attacks that included abductions, looting and burning of homes. More than 20,700 people have been driven from their homes by such raids, which are also fuelling acute food insecurity in Ituri, a fertile region where development has been halted by decades of intercommunal clashes, stealing livelihoods from families and future generations.   In North Kivu, the Kashuga settlement for internally displaced people in Masisi territory was torn apart in June by armed men in a raid that left eight dead and at least seven others grievously injured by firearms.   In recent weeks, fighting between the Congolese Army and the M23 group in North Kivu Province has displaced more than 160,000 people across Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories. The redeployment of government troops to this conflict has created power vacuums and a fragile security environment in both Ituri and North Kivu. Strings of coordinated attacks by multiple militia groups are terrorizing communities on a daily basis in the eastern provinces.   Insecurity compounds the existing challenge of intercommunal strife, the lack of infrastructure and an absence of institutions in the region. It also fuels intensified cycles of violence, generating further instability and undermining peace and development efforts. Such attacks are increasing the difficulties for UNHCR and partners in providing life-saving assistance to these vulnerable communities.   UNHCR calls on all parties in the strongest terms for the immediate cessation of this senseless violence, which is forcing the displacement of tens of thousands. We also call for the respect of international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and humanitarian workers from violence, and to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice immediately.   More than 5.6 million people are displaced in the DRC, making it the largest population of internally displaced people on the African continent and among the largest worldwide.   http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2022/7/62da4d724/unhcr-gravely-concerned-death-toll-displaced-dr-congos-east.html http://www.nrc.no/news/2022/june/international-ngos-working-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-condemn-repeated-deadly-attacks-on-displaced-civilians/ http://www.msf.org/hundreds-thousands-without-food-shelter-or-healthcare-north-kivu-drc http://www.msf.org/democratic-republic-congo-drc   May 2022   DR Congo tops list of world’s most neglected crises for second year in row. (NRC)   In 2021, it took a major geological event, the eruption of Nyiragongo volcano, to trigger some brief international attention to the country. But while the world’s spotlight was on the lava flows, the plight of millions of Congolese in need of urgent assistance across the country remained neglected.   Food insecurity reached the highest level ever recorded, with 27 million people – a third of the country’s population – going hungry. At the end of 2021, DR Congo was home to more than 5.5 million internally displaced people, the third highest figure in the world. A further 1 million Congolese have sought shelter and protection outside the country.   Global indifference   DR Congo was marked by fatigue in 2021. Not from the women, men and children who lived through the daily reality of insecurity and struggle, but from political leaders and the media who once again paid little attention to the crisis. There were no high-level political discussions concerning DR Congo, such as senior officials’ meetings, donor conferences or summits. The absence of strong international political engagement was matched by the lack of media coverage. Of all the 41 humanitarian crises analysed by NRC, DR Congo received the lowest level of media attention when compared to the number of displaced people.   Unprotected civilians   The international community’s inaction compounded its inability to protect civilians. Despite the efforts of MONUSCO, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, the north-east of the country has been continuously plagued by intercommunal tensions and conflicts, with a dramatic increase in targeted attacks on displacement camps since November 2021. Women, men and children who had already fled attacks in their home villages were brutally murdered in the very place where they thought they had found refuge.   Lack of humanitarian funding   The growing level of needs has not been matched by a corresponding increase in support from donors to meet the humanitarian needs inside the country, and the refugee response remains severely underfunded.   2022 brings more hunger   Food prices are soaring, partly due to the war in Ukraine. Since March 2022, the cost of sugar and cooking oil has risen by 50 per cent, bread by 20 per cent and rice by 11 per cent, posing a huge challenge in a country experiencing historic levels of hunger. Insecurity and violence also persist across the country, leaving little hope for a brighter 2022.   http://www.nrc.no/shorthand/fr/the-worlds-most-neglected-displacement-crises-in-2021/index.html http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-51/en/ http://unocha.exposure.co/when-life-rhymes-with-insecurity http://www.acaps.org/country/drc/crisis/complex-crisis http://civiliansinconflict.org/blog/the-un-risks-a-failed-drawdown-in-congo-if-it-doesnt-listen-to-civilians/ http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/ http://www.globalr2p.org/populations-at-risk/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2021/may/dr-congo-tops-list-of-worlds-most-neglected-crises/ http://www.wfp.org/countries/democratic-republic-congo http://www.msf.org/democratic-republic-congo-drc http://reliefweb.int/country/cod Visit the related web page
	Conflict and violence threatens lives and livelihoods across west and central Africa by OCHA, WFP, Unicef, IRC, NRC, agencies   Dec. 2023   A forecast 46.7 million children face another year of humanitarian need in West and Central Africa mainly due to ongoing conflict and insecurity, including in the central Sahel region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the massive displacement of women and children into Chad from Sudan.   UNICEF in the region is urgently appealing for funding support in its 2024 Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, which would help reach an estimated 24.1 million children, up from 23.5 million in 2023.   “West and Central Africa is home to a large number of critically underfunded emergencies, and some of the most neglected humanitarian crises in the world for children,” said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Felicite Tchibindat. “Children do not cause conflicts but are powerless to stop them. We need to do more to build a lasting solution for the region’s children and give them hope as they grow up in the midst of chronic and forgotten crises."   More than a third of the funding requirement in 2024 is to address malnutrition in the region, and the prevalence of wasting in children under five years remains high. The Sahel countries are the most affected with several areas of Burkina Faso, Mali and north-west Nigeria showing emergency levels of child wasting that exceed 15 per cent. In the year up to the end of October 2023, 1.9 million children under five years were admitted for treatment of severe wasting across nine Sahel countries, representing a 20 per cent increase as compared to the same period in 2022.   Lack of funding remains a major hindrance to humanitarian response in the region, with UNICEF’s two most underfunded appeals globally coming from the region. The 2023 appeal for the humanitarian needs in Burkina Faso ($227 million) was only 11 per cent funded, while the $862 million 2023 appeal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was only 13 per cent funded.   Some of the region’s humanitarian emergencies include:   The people of Burkina Faso continue to experience a multidimensional humanitarian crisis that has worsened since 2019. More than 2 million people are displaced inside the country. A de facto blockade by armed groups of areas where more than 1 million people live or have sought refuge has deprived people of free movement and necessary supplies.   In Cameroon, 4.7 million people (including 2.5 million children) urgently require humanitarian assistance due complex and multifaceted crises: armed conflict causing internal and cross-border displacement, intercommunal violence, disease outbreaks (including cholera and measles) and seasonal flooding.   Violence, population movements and natural disasters continue to weigh heavily on the children of the Central African Republic. Despite some decrease in insecurity and conflict-related violence, 2.8 million people (nearly half of the country’s population) will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. This includes 1.3 million children.   Among the recent crises in Chad has been the large influx of Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees since April 2023. Chad hosts around half of all refugees in West and Central Africa (1 million out of 2.2 million). Protracted and rapid-onset multidimensional crises, aggravated by climate change, have created a challenging humanitarian situation for the people of Chad, and 7.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2024.   The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the highest number of United Nations-verified grave violations against children globally, and one of the highest numbers of internally displaced people. An escalation of armed conflict in the country is severely impacting 14.9 million children, who are harmed by recurrent disease outbreaks, endemic sexual violence and growing access constraints – all exacerbating vulnerability and heightening child mortality. Increased military operations in 2024, along with hostilities expected after withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, will add to children's risks.   Mali is experiencing unprecedented and rising humanitarian needs. An estimated 8.8 million people, more than 40 per cent of the population, are projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024. The departure of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is expected to be completed by 31 December 2023, and this has impacted conflict dynamics and resulted in fresh hostilities.   The Niger continues to face a combination of crises: persistent armed conflicts, climate-induced disasters, nutritional emergencies and epidemics, all of which have been exacerbated by political instability following a military coup in late July 2023. In 2024, an estimated 4.3 million people, including 2.4 million children, will require humanitarian aid.   Armed conflict in northeast Nigeria continues to adversely affect the lives and prospects of 7.7 million people, 60 per cent of them children. Additionally, 474,000 people in the country's northwest and 489,000 in Benue State have been displaced due to armed violence, including farmer-herder violence.   In four West African coastal countries (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo), children and adolescents in northern regions are facing the humanitarian consequences, including population displacement, of the spillover of the Sahel crisis. In these four coastal countries the number of internally displaced persons, returnees and refugees is now estimated at 123,000, including 36,000 children. These numbers could increase given political and conflict dynamics across Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger.   http://www.unicef.org/wca/press-releases/467-million-children-risk-malnutrition-displacement-poor-health-learning-loss-west http://www.wfp.org/news/food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-reach-new-highs-west-and-central-africa-funding-address-acute http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/about-inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-one-five-people-central-sahel-needs   June 2023   Humanitarian community warns that 34.5 million people need humanitarian assistance as violence haunts the Sahel region. (OCHA, agencies)   Driven by spiraling violence, displacement, food insecurity and climate hazards, the humanitarian crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region is rapidly deteriorating with one in three people now in need of urgent aid and protection, according to the Humanitarian Needs and Requirement Overview for the Sahel 2023, published today by the United Nations and humanitarian partners.   Insecurity is displacing entire communities, across Sahel and beyond the region, hampering social cohesion, and is contributing to a food and nutrition crisis affecting 11.2 million people.   Of a total population of 109 million people in the region covered by the assessment, more than 34 million need humanitarian aid and assistance. Nearly 6 million people are considered having “catastrophic” needs. More than half of those in need are children.   In 2023, 6.6 million people are on the move due to persecution, conflict and human rights violations. More than one million of them fled across international borders as refugees. Attacks by non-state armed groups and the fear of imminent attacks account for nearly 75 percent of displacement in the region.   Insecurity and attacks on aid workers is also reducing humanitarian space and making it challenging for organizations to operate in the field and for affected people to access aid.   The Sahel region, already grappling with desertification, is also facing seasonal flooding which last year resulted in more than 1000 deaths and 2.9 million people displaced. The floods also destroyed nearly half a million homes and devastated 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land.   UN-coordinated response plans for 2023 are being implemented in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria (north-east), requiring $4.6 billion in funding this year. The current funding level across the response plans is 16 per cent, or $723 million received.   "The crisis in the Sahel is an acute humanitarian concern. If current trends continue, increasing numbers of people will be unable to meet their vital needs," said Charles Bernimolin, Head of the Regional Humanitarian Affairs Office (OCHA) for West and Central Africa in Dakar.   "This overview of needs should encourage the world to pay attention to this region and donors to increase their funding. Increased support is needed to prevent vulnerable people from being deprived of assistance, children from losing access to education, women from being deprived of protection and the entire population from facing even greater food insecurity. Time is running out.   http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/12/05/burkina-faso-blockaded-towns-war-crimes-and-mutual-aid http://unocha.exposure.co/sowing-the-seeds-of-hope-amid-despair http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/sahel-crisis-humanitarian-needs-and-requirements-overview-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/wfp-burkina-faso-country-brief-july-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/mali/nearly-one-million-children-mali-risk-acute-malnutrition-end-2023-unicef-wfp http://www.wfp.org/news/thousands-children-niger-risk-severe-nutritional-crisis-border-closures-leave-trucks-stranded http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/statement-unicef-representative-niger-stefano-savi-severe-impact-ongoing-crisis-millions-vulnerable-children http://unocha.exposure.co/northeast-nigeria-ringing-the-alarm-bell-on-the-malnutrition-crisis http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/archives/detail/nigeria-conflict-in-the-northeast-and-northwest http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138172   May 2023   West and Central Africa Region: Child Rights - UNICEF Humanitarian Dashboard (January-December 2022)   Across West and Central Africa (WCA) in 2022, children remained exposed to fragile and increasingly life-threatening environments, with 69 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. Children in the region were again affected by multi-dimensional humanitarian crises caused by sustained violent social, intercommunal and political conflicts, climate-related shocks, food insecurity and disease outbreaks such as epidemics in several countries.   The compound impact of these crises has led to increased displacement and reduced access to essential services, including the closure of health facilities and schools. By the end of 2022, the number of displaced persons (IDPs, refugees and asylum-seekers) across the WCA region was estimated at 16.5 million people, including over 9 million children.   Protracted food insecurity and malnutrition across the region has been further exacerbated by global shocks, including the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and price inflation in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/save-children-calls-urgent-investigation-after-least-70-civilians-including-children-killed-burkina-faso-massacre http://www.icrc.org/en/document/burkina-faso-icrc-and-burkinabe-red-cross-society-call-respect-international-humanitarian-law http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/severe-humanitarian-crisis-persists-people-living-under-blockade-djibo http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-and-central-africa-region-child-rights-humanitarian-dashboard-january-december-2022   Mar. 2023   Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance – twice as many as in 2020 – largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as hostilities between armed groups and national security forces spill across borders.   'Extreme Jeopardy' looks at how children are increasingly caught up in the armed conflict, as victims of intensifying military clashes, or targeted by non-state armed groups.   The Sahel has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa. But armed conflict and intensifying military clashes are putting lives and livelihoods at risk, disrupting access to services and leaving the futures of the central Sahel’s children in extreme jeopardy.   In brutal new lows, children are being directly targeted by non-state armed groups who operate across vast swathes of Mali and Burkina Faso, and increasingly in Niger. Hundreds of children have been abducted across the three countries, many of them girls.   Since 2021, non-state armed groups have destroyed food reserves in a region that is among the hungriest and most malnourished on the planet. Some armed groups that oppose state-administered education burn and loot schools, and threaten, abduct or kill teachers. National security operations against armed groups, meanwhile, have resulted in multiple instances of children being killed, injured and arrested. Many schools and hospitals are being damaged or destroyed across the three countries.   The insecurity and displacement are spilling over central Sahel borders and unfolding in remote communities with scarce infrastructure and resources, where children already have very limited access to the services they depend on for survival and protection. All this is happening in one of the most climate-affected and water-scarce regions in the world.   This crisis urgently requires a stronger humanitarian response, but it also needs long-term, flexible investment for sustainable development that contributes to peacebuilding within these communities, especially for children. Tackling underlying causes, strengthening social services and anticipating crises can help countries build resilient societies with strong social cohesion that allow children to enjoy their rights and realize their potential.   http://www.unicef.org/child-alert/central-sahel-extreme-jeopardy http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/unicef-child-alert-extreme-jeopardy-ten-million-children-central-sahel-need-humanitarian-assistance-amid-spiraling-conflict-and-punishing-climate-march-2023-enar http://www.wfp.org/news/food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-west-and-central-africa-10-year-high-crisis-spreads-coastal http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-support-ramp-operations-mali-thousands-face-food-catastrophe http://www.rescue.org/report/watchlist-insight-climate-and-humanitarian-crisis-central-sahel http://www.rescue.org/article/10-countries-risk-climate-disaster   Feb. 2023   UN launched urgent funding appeal to help six million people severely affected by conflict, disease, and disaster in northeast Nigeria.   “The large-scale humanitarian and protection crisis shows no sign of abating,” says Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.   “An estimated 2.4 million people are in acute need – impacted by conflict, disaster and disease – and require urgent support.”   The “ticking time bomb” of child malnutrition is escalating in Nigeria's northeast, with the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition projected to increase to two million in 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).   “Women and girls are the hardest hit,” said Mr. Schmale. “Over 80 per cent of people in need of humanitarian assistance across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are women and children.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/devastating-reality-9-years-after-chibok-abductions-children-northeast-nigeria http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-74/en/ http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/msf-seeing-unprecedented-number-malnourished-children-maiduguri http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/us13-billion-needed-reach-6-million-people-north-east-nigeria-humanitarian-assistance-2023   Jan. 2023   Millions of Nigerians at high risk of food insecurity in 2023. (UNICEF)   Nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 (lean season) if urgent action is not taken, according to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonise, a Government led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis carried out twice a year.   This is a projected increase from the estimated 17 million people currently at risk of food insecurity. Continued conflict, climate change, inflation and rising food prices are key drivers of this alarming trend.   Food access has been affected by persistent violence in the north-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) and armed banditry and kidnapping in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue and Niger..   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/25-million-nigerians-high-risk-food-insecurity-2023 http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-74/en/   Jan. 2023   Lake Chad Basin area is home to one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises - International Rescue Committee (IRC).   As world leaders convene in Niamey, Niger, at the Lake Chad Basin Conference, the IRC is calling on donors, leaders and participants to recognize the critical need for funding to match rising humanitarian needs, and for humanitarian actors to have unfettered access to populations in need.   The Lake Chad Basin area is home to one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises, deepened by ongoing conflict, economic turmoil and the unchecked impact of climate change. 11 million people continue to need life-saving assistance. Today, 2.9 million people are internally displaced in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.   Three out of four Lake Chad Basin countries have been on the IRC’s Watchlist of 20 countries at greatest risk of major deterioration in the humanitarian situation for several years. Against this dire backdrop, the humanitarian response plans have been just over halfway funded on average.   The conference is an opportunity to break the cycle of crisis by investing in the provision of basic services, and funding NGOs and civil society working at the frontlines directly with affected communities. The IRC also calls on donors to use this opportunity to reinforce the right of civilians across the Lake Chad Basin to access life-saving humanitarian aid. Restrictions and denial of access to humanitarian aid are hampering the ability of people in need to access basic services, particularly protection, healthcare, water hygiene and sanitation, economic support, and education.   The conflict in the Lake Chad region is fueled by the effects of climate change; droughts, flooding and a shrinking Lake Chad are furthering displacement in the area. Critical investments in longer-term resilience programs and climate adaptation are needed to break down the climate-humanitarian divide, and donors should provide public pledges for funding to strengthen climate resilience and coordinated action.   David Miliband, IRC’s President and CEO said: “The forgotten crisis in the Lake Chad Basin is one of the most serious in the world. The combined consequences of increasing instability, the growing impact of climate change to which the region is uniquely vulnerable and economic shocks have pushed humanitarian need to historic levels. Over 11 million people in the Basin region alone need humanitarian assistance; over 5 million people are severely food insecure– the highest figure in four years. Nearly 3 million people remain internally-displaced.   As global donors gather in Niamey for the Lake Chad region conference, the IRC calls not only for a significant boost in funding to meet great and growing need, but for humanitarian, climate, development, security and other stakeholders to work together to ensure unfettered aid for millions, the respect of international humanitarian law, and the delivery of aid that meets growing and increasingly multilayered humanitarian needs. It is more imperative than ever that the Lake Chad Basin is not forgotten or left behind.”   http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-calls-international-community-not-forget-lake-chad-basin-leaders-convene-pledging http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/warnings-over-child-malnutrition-rising-niger-year-climate-crisis-conflict-take-toll http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/january/niger-violence-derails-youths-future-in-the-worlds-youngest-country/ http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2023/why-are-almost-half-of-nigers-children-not-in-school/ http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/niger-un-deputy-humanitarian-chief-reiterates-commitment-most-vulnerable-people-calls-long-term-engagement-build-resilience   Nov. 2022   UN warns of worsening conflict and displacement in Sahel without immediate climate action.   Without urgent investment in climate mitigation and adaptation, countries in the Sahel risk decades of armed conflict and displacement exacerbated by rising temperatures, resource scarcity and food insecurity, the UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has warned.   According to a report published today, “Moving from Reaction to Action: Anticipating Vulnerability Hotspots in the Sahel”, left unchecked, the climate emergency will further imperil Sahelian communities as devastating floods, droughts, and heatwaves decimate access to water, food, and livelihoods, and amplify the risk of conflict. This will ultimately force more people to flee their homes.   “In the Sahel, the climate crisis is combining with increasing instability and the low level of investments in development to create a disempowering mix that is heavily taxing Sahelian communities, with the added risk of jeopardizing the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel Abdoulaye Mar Dieye. “There are solutions, focused on people’s agency and investments at scale, but they require resolute commitment and dedication from all, as well as the right data and analysis to know what is coming in order to execute proactive and impactful policy responses.”   The report looks at the 10 countries covered by the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and its Support Plan in West and Central Africa – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.   Communities across the Sahel rely on farming and pastoralism, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Food insecurity is already surging across the region, reaching emergency levels in some areas. In the long term, yields of maize, millet and sorghum are projected to decline due to climate shocks, wearing down the resilience of local populations.   “Rising temperatures and extreme weather in the Sahel are worsening armed conflict, which is already destroying livelihoods, disrupting food security, and driving displacement,” said UNHCR Special Advisor for Climate Action Andrew Harper. “Only a massive boost in collective climate mitigation and adaptation can alleviate the current and future humanitarian consequences.”   Even with ambitious climate mitigation policies, temperatures in the Sahel are predicted to rise 2.5°C by 2080. If urgent action is further delayed, they could increase by 4.3°C.   Despite the negative trends, the Sahel is endowed with abundant natural resources. The region sits on one of the largest aquifers in Africa and has immense potential for renewables, including abundant solar energy capacity, and a dynamic young population – around 64 per cent of Sahelians are under 25 years old.   If bold action in climate mitigation and adaptation is imminently taken to support Sahelian countries and communities, and collaboration across the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding pillars is prioritized, there is vast potential to change the region’s trajectory.   http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/more-7-million-children-will-suffer-severe-hunger-central-sahel-mid-2023 http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2022/11/63748b3b4/un-warns-worsening-conflict-displacement-sahel-immediate-climate-action.html http://www.acaps.org/country/burkina-faso/crisis/conflict http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/reports/advancing-rights-based-approach-climate-change-resilience-and-migration-sahel http://www.icrc.org/en/document/climate-change-mali-we-drilled-deep-found-nothing   Sep. 2022   Burkina Faso: Almost 2 million people displaced amid worst food crisis in a decade.   Nearly one in 10 people in Burkina Faso has been displaced by conflict. Most worryingly, the rate of severe food insecurity has nearly doubled compared to last year, with over 600,000 people in emergency hunger levels during this lean season, warn 28 international aid organisations operating in the country. An urgent increase in funding for humanitarian assistance is required to respond to the current situation.   “Too often, displacement and hunger come as a one-two punch,” said Hassane Hamadou, Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “People forced to move have left behind their fields and livestock. Many displaced families report being down to one meal a day in order to allow children to eat twice. Recent waves of displacement only heighten the urgency to act.”   The multiplication of violent attacks has driven more people to flee between January and July 2022 than during the entire year of 2021. Meanwhile, large displacement shocks are becoming more frequent. Four years after its start, the displacement crisis in Burkina Faso remains one of the three fastest growing in the world.   “We now see more and more people forced to flee not from their hometowns, but increasingly from places where they had previously sought refuge,” said Philippe Allard, Director of Humanity and Inclusion in Burkina Faso. “Each new displacement increases their vulnerability, and chips away at their resources and mental health.”   “For children, who make up for the majority of the displaced, leaving their home behind is traumatic enough but having to flee again and again while trying to survive robs families of any chance to rebuild their lives,” said Benoit Delsarte, Country Director of Save the Children.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-almost-2-million-people-displaced-amid-worst-food-crisis-decade http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/central-and-west-africa-home-almost-quarter-out-school-children-worldwide   June 2022   Over 30 million Sahelians, most of whom are women and children, require life-saving assistance and protection. (OCHA, Reliefweb)   Over 30 million Sahelians, most of whom are women and children, require lifesaving assistance and protection in 2022, an increase of almost two million from 2021. The United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations continue to raise the alarm over the rapidly and severely exacerbating crisis in the Sahel.   “In times of conflict, violence impairs education systems and displaces people. As a result, large numbers of children are left without an education and face dire protection issues. Attacks on schools are on the rise, affecting students, teachers, and communities. About 7,900 schools are closed in the Sahel due to violence, a 56 per cent increase since 2021”, warns Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.   “When refugee and internally displaced children are out of school, they become increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Reported cases of child recruitment, killing and maiming of children, and sexual violence by armed groups and armed forces have been rising; child marriages and early pregnancies among school-age girls are at risk of being further exacerbated by the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and climate change”.   Growing needs in the Sahel are being exacerbated by the ever-shrinking humanitarian space, which is dragging the entire response into a negative spiral. “Although needs are continuously exacerbating, reaching people in conflict-affected areas is an ongoing challenge due to rising criminality, kidnappings, and increasing violence”, says Maureen Magee, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Regional Director for Central and West Africa.   “Insecurity and violence are depriving affected communities of vital services, including access to health, education and water, sanitation, and hygiene services, resulting in a vicious cycle of vulnerability. Aid workers are ever more at risk and have been abducted and killed”.   “While needs are at record highs across the Sahel, resources are at rock bottom, and the cost of responding is skyrocketing forcing us to provide half rations in many countries across the Sahel” said Elvira Pruscini, World Food Program’s Deputy Regional Director for West Africa.   “Life-saving assistance is essential and should be complemented with multiyear resilience interventions to reduce humanitarian needs over time and pave the way toward sustainable solutions to hunger and malnutrition. We can and should also be supporting national food and social protection systems to immediately mitigate this crisis while supporting governments”.   “Between June and August 2022, over 18.6 million people (15 per cent of the region’s1 total population) are expected to experience severe food insecurity, including 2.1 million people experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity,” noted the regional representative for West and Central Africa at the international organization Action Contre la Faim, Mamadou Diop.   For Poirier of UNICEF, “Prevention and long-term solutions to child malnutrition requires improving equitable access to nutritious foods and quality health services, and facilitating access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation, as a well as promoting appropriate infant and young childcare practice   “For far too many women and girls who are experiencing displacement, gender-based violence is a daily occurrence. Forced marriage and child marriage, physical and sexual violence, and sexual exploitation all contribute to thousands of people feeling trapped and powerless”, noted the Regional Vice President for West Africa for the International Rescue Committee, Modou Diaw.   “They are primarily impacted by harmful social norms and multiple discriminations based on age and gender, which are exacerbated by the socio-economic crisis and conflict”.   As the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and partners launch the 2022 Humanitarian Needs and Requirements Overview for the Sahel, they call for immediate action to address the critical situation.   However, funding shortfalls remain among the significant challenges to delivering effective aid. “It is urgent to secure humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable as millions of people struggle every day. Without sufficient resources, the crisis will further escalate, eroding communities’ resilience and putting children, women, and men at risk”, warns the Head of West and Central Africa Office at OCHA, Charles Bernimolin.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/un-and-ngo-partners-raise-alarm-over-30-million-sahelians-most-whom-are-women-and-children-require-life-saving-assistance-and-protection-increase-almost-two-million-2021-enar http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/sahel-crisis-humanitarian-needs-and-requirements-overview-2022   May 2022   Burkina Faso: Over a quarter million people victims of new “water war” in peak dry season. (NRC, Solidarites International, Humanity & Inclusion, agencies)   Thirty-two water facilities have been destroyed so far this year, impacting nearly 300,000 people according to a group of 13 national and international organisations providing humanitarian and development assistance in the country. Targeted attacks have ranged from direct hits on water points and water trucks, purposeful contamination of water resources to sabotaging public water network’s generators.   “These repetitive attacks on water services and their severe impact on hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians are unprecedented in Burkina Faso and have not been seen elsewhere in the Central Sahel region either,” says Hassane Hamadou, Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Burkina Faso. “Disrupting civilians' access to water is no longer a mere by-product of the conflict, it has become a weapon of war and marks a new, despicable turn in violence. For the sake, dignity and survival of an already exhausted population, this war on water must stop.”   Most destructions occurred in Djibo in the Sahel region, a city that hosts more displaced people than any other in the country. Civilians there have access to less than three liters of water a day to cover all their needs from drinking to hygiene and cooking, compared to roughly twice that amount before the attacks - an already critical level.   While Europeans use on average 150 liters of water daily, the World Health Organization considers people in emergency situations need at least 15-20 liters. Seven liters is the “minimum survival allocation,” viable only for a few days. Residents in Djibo are now forced to sustain themselves with less than half that amount.   “I went through hell to get my family here safely,” says Fatoumata. “But once in Djibo, I found that the ordeal was not over. It continues for us here.”   “We struggle to find enough to eat and drink since we've arrived,” says Dicko. “Often, we spend the entire day at the water point only to leave with one jerrycan, and sometimes with nothing. We pay for and drink water that’s very dirty and impure. We can’t even dream of having enough to wash clothes, or ourselves.”   Distance to fetch water and time spent queuing are not just excessively long, they can also expose civilians to more violence. Beyond attacks on water facilities, civilians on their way to or waiting at water points are being intimidated and threatened by armed individuals.   “Djibo has been a flashpoint of the humanitarian crisis for over three years and now finds itself on the frontline of a new type of war,” says Rebecca Bouchet-Petersen, Country Director for Solidarités International in Burkina Faso. “The conflict is now putting at risk the very thing no one can live without: clean water. Civilians in Djibo were already facing alarming shortages of food and medicine, now they are going thirsty too. Considering all the health risks associated with drinking unsanitary water, temperatures averaging 40C and challenging road access, Djibo sits on the brink of humanitarian disaster.”   Attacks on water have recently spread to other regions as well. On 15 April, gunmen set fire to a water truck in the Center-North region. Assailants made it clear they did not want to see water trucks on that road again. All water trucking activities, currently the only way to provide emergency water assistance to the residents, have been halted as a result of the violence.   http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/urgent-action-needed-avert-full-blown-food-crisis-sahel http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-over-quarter-million-people-victims-new-water-war-peak-dry-season http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-hunger-crisis-emergency-plan-action-epoa-dref-operation-no-mdrbf017 http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/16/burkina-faso-armed-islamists-kill-rape-civilians http://www.savethechildren.net/news/more-1-3-children-under-five-risk-starvation-central-sahel http://unocha.exposure.co/we-must-support-niger http://www.dw.com/en/chad-declares-food-emergency-as-grain-supplies-fall/a-62044682   Apr. 2022   West Africa faces its worst food crisis in ten years, with over 27 million people already suffering from hunger, report 11 humanitarian agencies. (Reliefweb)   West Africa is hit by its worst food crisis in a decade, with 27 million people going hungry. This number could rise to 38 million this June - a new historic level and already an increase by more than a third over last year- unless urgent action is taken. This alert is issued by eleven international organizations in response to new analyses of the March 2022 Cadre Harmonisé (CH), ahead of a conference on the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel and Lake Chad organized by the European Union and the Sahel and West Africa Club.   Over the past decade, far from abating, food crises have been increasing across the West African region, including in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of people in need of emergency food assistance nearly quadrupled, from 7 to 27 million.   “Cereal production in some parts of the Sahel has dropped by about a third compared to last year. Family food supplies are running out. Drought, floods, conflict, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 have forced millions of people off their land, pushing them to the brink" says Assalama Dawalack Sidi, Oxfam's regional director for West and Central Africa.   "The situation is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move to different communities and to live with host families who are already living in difficult conditions themselves. There is not enough food, let alone food that is nutritious enough for children. We must help them urgently because their health, their future and even their lives are at risk," said Philippe Adapoe, Save the Children's director for West and Central Africa.   Malnutrition is steadily increasing in the Sahel. The United Nations estimated that 6.3 million children aged 6-59 months will be acutely malnourished this year - including more than 1.4 million children in the severe acute malnutrition phase - compared to 4.9 million acutely malnourished children in 2021.   "I had almost no milk left so I gave my baby other food. He often refused to take it and lost weight. In addition he had diarrhea, which worsened his condition," said Safiatou, a mother who had to flee her village because of the violence in Burkina Faso.   In addition to conflict and insecurity, pockets of drought and poor rainfall distribution have reduced communities' food sources, especially in the Central Sahel. To make up for the gap, many families are selling their assets, jeopardizing their productive capacity and the future of their children. Young girls may be forced into early marriage and other forms of gender-based violence may increase as food becomes scarcer.   "The rains were scarce. There is no more food. With the lack of grazing, the sheep are getting thinner and this forces us to sell them at a loss. I used to have twelve sheep, but now I only have one left”, explains Ramata Sanfo, a herder from Burkina Faso. "I would like to have my cattle back so that I have enough money and my children can go back to school."   Food prices have increased by 20-30 percent over the past five years in West Africa. While food reserves are dwindling in the Sahel, the recent crisis in Ukraine is making the situation dangerously worse. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, food prices could rise by another 20 percent worldwide, an unbearable increase for already fragile populations. In addition, the crisis is likely to cause a significant decrease in wheat availability for six West African countries that import at least 30 percent, and in some cases more than 50 percent, of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine.   Another likely effect of the crisis in Europe is a sharp drop in international aid to Africa. With a number of donors already indicating that they may make cuts in their funding to Africa. For example, Denmark has announced that it will postpone part of its bilateral development assistance to Burkina Faso (50 percent in 2022) and to Mali (40 percent in 2022).   "There should be no competition between humanitarian crises," says Mamadou Diop, regional representative of Action Against Hunger. "The Sahel crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises on a global scale and, at the same time, one of the least funded."   * The eleven international organizations participating in this press release are Oxfam, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, CARE International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Tearfund, World Vision (WV), Handicap International - Humanité & Inclusion and Mercy Corps.   According to the March 2022 analysis of the Cadre harmonisé (CH), 38.3 million people will be in food and nutrition crisis in June-August if nothing is done, compared to 27.3 million in the same period in 2021, an increase of 40.2% in one year. By country, the projections of people in phase 3 to 5 for June-August 2022 in the most affected countries are: Nigeria (19.5 million), Burkina Faso (3.5 million), Niger (4.4 million), Chad (2 million), Mali (1.8 million).   In 2020, Unicef estimated that 29 million children under the age of 5 (between 6 and 23 months) were stunted (+26%) in the region, up from 22 million in 2000. Other data on malnutrition are from the UNICEF/World Food Programme Hotspot 2022 analysis.   According to UNHCR, more than 4.6 million people are currently displaced or refugees in the Central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), Chad, and Mauritania, 2 million more than in 2020.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-africa-faces-its-worst-food-crisis-ten-years-over-27-million-people-already http://www.wfp.org/news/food-and-oil-price-hikes-drive-costs-cash-strapped-wfp-operations-west-africa-region-faces http://www.nutritioncluster.net/news/urgent-action-needed-holistically-address-child-malnutrition-west-and-central-africa http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/35-million-people-threatened-hunger-crisis-sahel http://www.wfp.org/stories/sahel-millions-risk-hunger-and-displacement-rise-warns-wfp http://www.icrc.org/en/document/across-africa-disaster-goes-largely-unnoticed-food-security-crisis http://www.rescue.org/article/3-ways-ukraine-conflict-will-drive-hunger-other-crisis-zones   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-and-central-africa-situation-report-31-dec-2021 http://unocha.exposure.co/ten-things-to-know-about-the-situation-in-the-sahel http://www.channel4.com/news/niger-how-the-climate-crisis-is-fuelling-war http://unocha.exposure.co/celebrating-the-hope-and-culture-of-a-region-in-acute-crisis   Dec. 2021   Violence impacts over 700,000 children due to school closures in Cameroon. (NRC)   Attacks against education and killings, kidnappings and harassment of students and teachers, are forcing schools to close and pushing vulnerable children further to the margins.   Over 700,000 children have been impacted by school closures due to violence in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, according to recent analysis by the United Nations humanitarian arm, UNOCHA.   The Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, and the Director of Education Cannot Wait, Yasmine Sherif, today called for an end to attacks on education in Cameroon during their joint visit to the country this week.   “This is among the most complex humanitarian crises in the world today. Children and youth are having to flee their homes and schools, are threatened with violence and kidnapping, and being forced into early childhood marriage and recruited into armed groups,” said Yasmine Sherif.   “We call for urgent support from donors to respond to this forgotten crisis. We call for the respect of human rights and adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law and the Safe Schools Declaration, and for partners to redouble efforts so all children and adolescents can get back to the safety, protection and hope that quality learning environments provide.”   Two out of three schools are closed in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, according to UNOCHA. On 24 November, four children and one teacher were killed in an attack in Ekondo Titi in Cameroon’s South-West region.   A recent lockdown imposed by a non-state armed group, from 15 September to 2 October, limited access to basic services including health and education. During the period, OCHA reported a series of attacks in the North-West. Eight students were kidnapped, and a girl’s fingers were chopped off after she tried to attend school. Five public school principals were also kidnapped, including one who was killed.   During the lockdown all schools and community learning spaces were closed, except for some schools in a few urban areas which operated at less than 60 per cent capacity. About 200,000 people did not receive food due to the interruption of humanitarian activities.   The lockdown and insecurity have forced UN agencies and aid organisations - including the Norwegian Refugee Council - to temporarily suspend the delivery of lifesaving aid to people in need in both the North-West and South-West regions.   Nine out of ten regions of Cameroon continue to be impacted by one of three complex humanitarian crises: the crisis in the North-West and South-West, conflict in the Far North, and a refugee crisis involving people who have fled the Central African Republic. Over one million children need urgent education support because of these combined crises.   To address these multiple emergencies, made even worse by COVID-19 and climate change impacts, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises – is working closely with UN agencies, the Norwegian Refugee Council and civil society education partners to build a multi-year resilience programme in Cameroon. ECW is contributing US$25 million over three years and calls for other donors to fill the gap which is estimated at $50 million. When fully funded, the programme will provide approximately 250,000 children and adolescents with access to safe and protective learning environments in the most-affected areas.   The programme builds on the impact from ECW’s ongoing First Emergency Response in Cameroon. Announced in May, the investment is designed to ensure refugee children fleeing from the Central African Republic receive access to quality, protective learning environments.   http://unocha.exposure.co/cameroon-six-things-to-know-about-the-humanitarian-crisis http://www.nrc.no/news/2021/november/violence-impacts-700000-children-in-cameroon/ http://www.educationcannotwait.org/fer-cameroon/ http://unocha.exposure.co/for-nine-years-now-we-have-not-stopped-hosting-people-fleeing-conflict   Dec. 2021   Mali: Alarming food crisis leaves 1.2 million hungry   The number of Malians facing hunger has increased nearly threefold in one year, warns a coalition of 22 humanitarian organisations working in the country. The triple impacts of rising insecurity, droughts and Covid-19 have plunged a record number of 1.2 million people into a food crisis in 2021.   The number of Malians facing hunger has increased nearly threefold in one year, warns a coalition of 22 humanitarian organisations working in the country. The triple impacts of rising insecurity, droughts and Covid-19 have plunged a record number of 1.2 million people into a food crisis in 2021.   "Food security is threatened on many fronts in Mali. The situation will go from bad to worse for millions of vulnerable people if we don’t act now, with projections indicating a further 58% increase in the number of food insecure people next year,” said Adeline Benita, Director of the Humanitarian Working Group of the International NGOs Forum in Mali (FONGIM).   The levels of hunger are the highest recorded since the beginning of the crisis in Mali in 2012. Drought has hit the country hard, leading to the loss of more than 225,000 hectares of fields and affecting more than 3 million people mainly in Mopti, Ségou and Timbuktu.   Meanwhile, insecurity has forced 400,000 people to flee their homes. Many families have had to abandon their fields and have seen their livestock stolen. The increasing grip of armed actors on people’s ability to move freely and in some cases full-fledged besiegement, have prevented vulnerable families from accessing aid, their fields, grazing areas for their livestock, and markets surrounding their villages.   "Armed men attacked our village and forbade us to leave. Over time, we consumed all the food we had saved and were forced to find a solution to survive," reported a mother from a village under siege in Mopti region. "My four children and I had to escape through the bush at night. We walked 20 kilometers without any food or water".   The combination of rising insecurity, climate change and the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 has driven up the price of food items like corn and rice in some areas such as Gao, respectively by 22% and 18% in 2021, pushing food out of reach for many families.   The food crisis has been further exacerbated by the weak commitment from donor states to meet the alarming needs. Levels of humanitarian funding have decreased steadily from half of required funding for food security responses in 2017, to only a quarter in 2021.   Ten years of conflicts have increasingly weakened people's livelihoods in a country that is already fragile and severely affected by climate change. It is therefore crucial to adapt our responses to the protracted crisis or risk seeing an exponential rise in hunger in Mali in the years to come.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2021/december/mali-food-crisis/ http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/conflict-economic-fragility-and-rising-food-prices-drive-hunger-west-and-central http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/south-sudan-survivors-describe-killings-mass-displacement-and-terror-amid http://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-alarmed-lack-humanitarian-access-26-million-people-africa
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