Conflicts in the DRC: nearly a million newly displaced in six months

June 15, 2023

Nearly a million new displaced persons were identified in the first half of 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a context of an outbreak of deadly violence in the east of the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday.

An upsurge in attacks on civilians by armed groups and militias has displaced “nearly one million people in the DRC since January”, notes the IOM, estimating that “6.1 million people are currently displaced in interior of the DRC, an increase of 17% compared to October 2022”.

Since the beginning of the year, attacks by armed groups against civilians in the east (Kivu and Ituri) have led to loss of life, massive population displacements and growing instability, the organization points out.

“The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate and millions of people are facing acute food insecurity and other critical needs,” warns the IOM.

According to the organization, “more than 26 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance” in the country, which has a population of around 100 million.

Monday, at least 46 people including many children were killed in Ituri in the attack on a camp for displaced people by the Codeco community militia, which claims to protect the Lendu tribe against a rival tribe, the Hema.

This massacre led to “the further displacement of more than 7,800 people from the site, the destruction of shelters and personal effects”, according to the organization.

The IOM “strongly condemns this heinous violation of international humanitarian law and recalls that attacks against civilians can constitute war crimes”.

On Thursday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he would conduct a preliminary examination into alleged crimes by “armed forces and groups” committed from January 1, 2022 to date “in the province of North Kivu.

The eastern DRC has been plagued for nearly three decades by violence from numerous armed groups, many of which are inherited from the wars of the 1990s and 2000s.