The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has painted a dramatic picture of the escalation of conflicts in eastern Congo, calling for the protection of children. The UN agency also warned of a potential cholera outbreak. “The situation is very volatile and unpredictable. But we know that the civilian population is massively affected” said Jean-Jacques Simon, Unicef’s regional spokesperson for East Africa, in an interview with the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. “It’s a huge conflict that has been going on for decades. Now it has reached a new, very dramatic and violent chapter.”
Before the clashes between a militia backed by Rwanda and government troops and their allies, hundreds of thousands of people had fled. 4.5 million people in the region are displaced and the access of aid organizations is limited due to closed airports, inaccessible ports and restricted road usage.
Seventy percent of those affected are women and children. “Children are suffering the most. Many children are being killed in attacks or caught in crossfire. Vast numbers of children are losing family members or are separated from their families during their flight and are left alone. The most critical point – especially for the children – is the water shortage. People are resorting to seawater. There is a risk of a cholera outbreak. This is one of our greatest concerns. We must urgently reach, protect and provide for the children.”
Simon called on the conflict parties to allow aid organizations to work. “To regain humanitarian access, the conflict parties must either end their fighting or set up humanitarian corridors. This is of the highest urgency” he said.