A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Matthew Saltmarsh, Friday expressed concern about the growing number of people fleeing their homes as a result of fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Saltmarsh emphasized that the DRC has 5.8 million internally displaced people in Africa, making it the continent’s largest internal displacement crisis. In February, 300,000 people fled their homes in North Kivu Province’s Rutshuru and Masisi territories. He commented:

With our partners, we have relocated more than 14,000 vulnerable, displaced people to Buchagara displacement site, 5 kilometers from Goma, North Kivu’s provincial capital. where they received emergency shelter. Further relief is planned this month in the form of kits containing blankets and jerry cans for water. However, the growing needs are outstripping the available resources at a dramatic rate.

According to the UNHCR, women and children are the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict. It has discovered numerous violations of human rights including mass murders, kidnappings, and rape in affected areas such as Rutshuru and Masisi. Other related issues include overcrowding and poor living conditions in camps, as well as limited access to food and water. The UNHCR has used a variety of techniques to address these issues, including psychological counselling, community support, and expanding humanitarian aid.

While the UNHCR has made an effort to assist the displaced people in places like Goma, it is gravely concerned about the limited humanitarian access to the displaced people in North Kivu Province, where armed militia groups route has blocked the routes leading to the province. It lists additional difficulties as well, such as the difficulty of providing aid which is dependent on the location of the attacks.

UNHCR and its partners have requested international assistance to address the DRC’s mass displacement crisis. It is seeking US $232.6 million to support this effort. However, only eight percent of the operation’s budget has been allocated. Additionally, it urges DRC’s key players to end the ongoing violence, which has claimed a large number of casualties.