In Goma, a few days after the occupation of the city by the Rwandan army, humanitarian aid workers and other international organizations are warning of the worsening humanitarian situation. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), for its part, is seeking 2.5 billion USD to provide an appropriate response to the needy in Goma and other areas.
In a press release issued for this purpose, the IOM says it is “deeply concerned by the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced in recent days in Goma”.
The source informs that “the DRC’s current humanitarian needs response plan for 2025 calls for USD 2.5 billion, of which at least USD 50 million is urgently needed due to this new wave of displacement, in order to increase vital humanitarian assistance and prevent further suffering”.
Calling for a global response in the humanitarian, development and peace sectors, IOM sees the need to strengthen partnerships and place communities at the center of interventions.
It calls on the international community to recognize the scale of the crisis and respond to the humanitarian needs of displaced people.
According to IOM Director General Amy Pope, “Millions of people have already been displaced by years of conflict in eastern DRC, and the humanitarian needs are enormous. With the alarming upsurge in clashes, an already dire situation is rapidly worsening”.
“IOM joins the UN Secretary-General’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and full humanitarian access, so that we can rapidly step up our response and ensure that vital aid reaches those in need,” she said.
IOM is committed to supporting displaced communities and hosts in and around Goma, providing emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services, camp coordination and management, and monitoring population movements through its Displacement Monitoring Matrix.
The humanitarian situation in North Kivu province is deteriorating daily. Massive population displacements, caused by wars unjustly imposed by foreigners including Rwandan Paul Kagame, are only aggravating the humanitarian situation in this part of the Republic.
Olivier Kaforo