An upsurge of violence, sparked by inter-community conflicts in Equateur Province in north-western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has forced 70,000 people to flee their homes. Many have headed for the country’s interior, while others have taken refuge across the border in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched an emergency response in Likouala, Republic of the Congo, and has just finished an evaluation of areas hosting tens of thousands of internally displaced persons to the south of Dongo, DRC.

Dongo, where the first wave of fighting broke out, has become a ghost town. Around one hundred people were killed, with a number of bodies left unburied for weeks. Houses, shops and other buildings were destroyed or set on fire, according to a UN report.

In October a long-simmering conflict between two communities escalated into an all-out battle that spread to several nearby villages. Further to the south, in the Bomboma area, new fighting flared up on Nov. 17 starting in the village of Saba Saba. Residents and others already displaced by the fighting in Dongo had to run for their lives, leaving behind a number of dead, burnt buildings and a wave of looting.

According to data collected by MSF during an evaluation conducted Nov.16-27, more than 70,000 people have fled the area.

More than 40,000 internally displaced people without assistance

More than 40,000 people are headed for Kungu, Bokonzi, Bomboma, Bonzene and Boto, DRC. MSF’s medical teams have met individuals who have walked four days without rest to escape the conflict. At the end of their journey these people are destitute. They have nothing to their name and must survive hand to mouth, sleeping in makeshift shelters, schools, churches or with host families. The wounded go without treatment because the healthcare is too expensive and they fled their homes with their pockets empty.

More than 30,000 refugees in Republic of Congo

At least 34,000 people have crossed the Congo River seeking refuge in Likouala, Republic of the Congo. MSF has organized mobile clinics in various sites in Bétou district. The refugees are scattered in small groups along the river and the teams travel by small wooden boats called pirogues to reach them.

“Around 800 people are staying on an island between Dongon Zaire and Eboko, because they are so scared of reprisals,” explained Salha Issoufou, MSF’s emergency coordinator.  “They belong to one of the communities involved in the conflict and cannot move around to find assistance. An MSF team will go there to bring them assistance.”

Malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhea

The most common diseases observed amongst the refugees are malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhea. Around one hundred people attended the MSF mobile clinics.  A third of these patients are children under five years old.

The first food distributions by the World Food Programme began in Bétou on Nov. 25, but the situation remains critical as food distributions are likely to take time.

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