Conflict in the DRC
Welcome back to a new week at the Lancet Student. There’s a huge amount going on in the world this week (as always), not least of course the US elections – and we’ll have more on that later in the week. Today’s blog briefly highlights the current conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has recently exploded onto our news screens. We’ve also posted an interesting article on neonatal survival in sub-Saharan Africa and some of the ways in which it could be improved, so take a look at that. There’s going to be some more changes at the Lancet Student over the next few weeks so, as ever, keep checking back and keep sending us your work!
Photo courtesy of the ICRC
As the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has finally reached the main pages of the international news, the UN has voiced deep concerns for the safety of the civilians caught in the conflict.
The recent violence is a result of classes between government forces (the FARDC) and those of Laurent Nkunda, head of the rebel group the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) in the east. Thousands of people, many of whom had already been uprooted, fled as the CNDP advanced on Goma. Looting, killings and rapes have been attributed to FARDC soldiers as they retreated from Goma, with similar atrocities believed to have been committed in CNDP controlled areas. While a tenuous ceasefire is holding, the UN peacekeeping mission MONUC is barely holding on, leading some to accuse the international community of once again failing to uphold its enshrined principle of the responsibility to protect civilians.
The situation is certainly very serious. Foreign diplomats have flocked to the region, fearing that a conflict in the DRC could destabilise a large part of central Africa, as it did in 1996 and 1998. The government of the DRC has already accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels and indeed there seem to be many tensions in the region from the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. The human cost of the conflict has yet to be fully understood. The UNHCR is very concerned about the fate of around 50,000 internally displaced persons who have been forced from camps near Rutshuru, about 90km from Goma. Moreover since the violence was rekindled in August, over 8,500 people have fled into Uganda, stretching the facilities along the border to the brink.
While there have been substantial concerns about security, many NGOs are also operating in the region. MSF, for instance, are working in several locations including Goma and Rutshuru and have warned of the possibility of a serious cholera outbreak in one of the camps they assist at. The International Rescue committee is looking to scale up its operations around Goma and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent has been able to resume its work. Despite the presence of multiple humanitarian organisations a huge number of people remain without food, shelter and access to healthcare, not to mention safety. The UK NGO Merlin, for instance, has reported that up to 150,000 people have fled due to recent violence and cannot be reached by medical services. The situation has already been described as a “humanitarian catastrophe” and there is little evidence as yet that this has been or can be turned around.