File photo: An Ebola camp
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, UN
agencies have warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC) has spread to eastern ‘no-go’ zone surrounded by
rebels.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), warned
that rebel violence in eastern DRC was escalating inside the vast
country’s Ebola-hit North Kivu province, putting millions at risk.
“Thousands of civilians have fled their burned-out villages, bringing reports of brutal attacks,’’ Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for UNHCR, said in Geneva.
The latest report followed reports that a case of Ebola infection
and one suspected case have been found in one town in the area, Oicha,
which is surrounded by armed groups.
The disease has killed more than 60 people and infected dozens more in recent weeks.
Forced displacement in this part of the country remains massive and
it is estimated that more than a million people are displaced in North
Kivu.
This is the highest concentration of internally displaced people
(IDPs) in the DRC, where an estimated half a million people have been
forced from their homes this year alone.
Also, Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General of Emergency
Preparedness and Response, said the discovery of Ebola infection in the
hard-to-reach part of eastern DRC could mark a “pivotal” point in the
response to the deadly disease.
“It really was the problem we were anticipating and the problem … we were dreading.
“Our teams have responded this week. They’ve had to reach Oicha with armed escorts.
“Once they reach Oicha, they are able to move within Oicha town
more freely, because the town itself is a yellow zone from a security
perspective,’’ Salama explained.
Mahecic said UNHCR was particularly worried about the deteriorating
situation in the Ebola-hit northern territory of Ben, where Oicha town
is located.
The area is home to some 1.3 million people and spiralling conflict
has left the population living there, virtually in a state of siege
since October 2017.
Reports of increased human rights violations and restrictions of humanitarian access are also frequent.
Estimates are that more than 100 armed groups are active in the province, continually terrorising the population.
In spite of a large-scale military offensive of the Congolese Army
against one of the main rebel groups, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)
since January, there has been no let-up in the violence.
Mahecic said: “Despite security challenges, a UNHCR team
accessed the area north of Beni, earlier this month, and conducted
humanitarian assessments in Oicha and Eringeti districts.
“Residents told our staff about brutal attacks against the civilians carried out with machetes.
“Stories of massacres, extortion, forced displacement and other human rights violations are frequent’’.
Further, sexual and gender-based violence is rampant across the
Beni territory while many children are being recruited as child
soldiers.
The violence is particularly rampant in the so-called “triangle of
death,” between the towns of Eringeti, Mbau and Kamango, on the
Uganda-DRC border, as well as in the towns of Beni, Oicha and Mavivi.
UNHCR said it was scaling up its capacity in North Kivu to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.
“We are arranging additional emergency shelters and other humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the displaced in Beni.
“While UNHCR’s humanitarian response is continuing, despite the
outbreak of Ebola, the prevailing security situation and drastic
funding shortfall severely hamper our efforts.
“UNHCR’s DRC 2018 appeal totalling $201 million is only 17 per cent funded,’’ Mahecic explained.