Aid teams have issued an urgent appeal for support to help displaced communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo rebuild their lives. The UN development agency made the call on Friday as more than one million people remain uprooted by violence, according to UN News. Rwanda-backed M23 fighters have swept across the region since the start of the year, taking key cities including Goma and Bukavu.
The violence has forced people from their homes across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. These newly displaced people join five million others already living in camps across eastern DRC.
UNDP Resident Representative Damien Mama described meeting a woman in North Kivu whose house was destroyed after she fled advancing fighters in January. With five children, she received food and temporary shelter but needs to return to her farm to continue working.
“What she needs is to go back to her farm to continue farming, to continue her activities, and also have her home rebuilt,” Mama said.
The crisis has devastated the local economy, with banks closed and businesses destroyed. Many operate at just 30% capacity.
UNDP plans to create 1,000 jobs and restore basic infrastructure over the next five months, helping about 15,000 people. The agency needs $25 million but has secured only $14 million from South Korea, Canada, UK and Sweden, leaving an $11 million gap.
