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Maintaining humanitarian aid in the chaos of Goma

Published on Thursday 30 January 2025

On January 27th 2025, the M23 armed group,in conflict for years with the government troops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), launched an offensive on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, provoking a massive movement of the population and the emergency evacuation of some of our teams on the ground. As humanitarian needs have exploded, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is adapting its response to this new situation.   

The town of Goma, on the Rwandan border of the DRC, is experiencing one of the worst disasters in its violent history. The conflict between the M23 and government troops has been shaking the east of the country for nearly three years. It has resulted in the forced displacement of 6.5 million people¹ and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Against this backdrop, the recent capture of Goma by the M23 marks an unprecedented and particularly dangerous turning point in the conflict. The airport and all the roads leading to the town are now under the control of the armed group, as is the Rwandan border.   

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Context and action
  • 102.26 millions inhabitants
  • 179th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index
  • 975,048 people assisted

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL has been present in the DRC for 25 years. With 250 local employees and 25 expatriates, the mission provided essential water, hygiene and sanitation services to repeatedly displaced people in numerous camps in Petit Nord Kivu and provided humanitarian aid in Ituri. The violence and the departure of displaced people from these camps have led to the cessation of many of the activities carried out by the NGO up to now. In Béni, for example, the team had to be evacuated to neighbouring Uganda. And while the team in Bunia is now able to work, the situation is constantly being monitored.   

In the heart of the crisis, the SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL team in Goma was able to take shelter and some of its staff were evacuated. But with the advance of the combatants, tens of thousands of people from the surrounding camps for displaced people were forced to seek shelter in the city. ‘The situation is unprecedented: in addition to the unprecedented violence, there is no longer any electricity or water in Goma. The health risk is multiplied, while several diseases, including cholera, have already been raging in the country for several years’, warns Justine Muzik-Piquemal, regional director in charge of the DRC for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL. Faced with an explosion in humanitarian needs, the team present is doing its utmost to provide displaced people in the town with water and access to functional toilets.  

Photos : © SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

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