UNHCR and IOM Condemn Deadly Attack on Displacement Site in DR Congo

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Cox Gazette February 4, 2022, 02:06 AM

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are horrified by the armed attack on the site for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Plaine Savo Djugu Territory, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At least 50 people, including more than a dozen children, were killed and more than 40 others injured during Tuesday’s attack in Ituri Province.

The agencies condemn this heinous attack in the strongest terms and remind all parties of their obligations under international law to protect and safeguard civilian lives at all times.

IOM and UNHCR teams in Ituri are coordinating with other humanitarian actors to scale up the emergency response.

The site, which is managed by UNHCR and partner CARITAS, hosted more than 20,000 IDPs including more than 13,000 children. Many of site’s residents have fled to Bule town, three kilometers away.

The attack, thought to have been carried out by a non-state armed group, occurred less than three months after the last deadly attack on the displacement sites of Drodro and Tche in the same area of Djugu Territory. Some 44 people were killed in that attack, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee.

Around 230,000 people live in more than 60 displacement sites across the province managed by IOM and UNHCR. Both agencies support the government to provide overall management of these sites and to coordinate humanitarian assistance and protection.

The DRC hosts 5.6 million displaced persons, most of whom reside in the eastern part of the country, in North and South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika provinces.