Conflict for power and resources in the southwestern Kasai province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo brought about a resurgence of violence that has made more than 24,000 people in just one month leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a press release on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2020) Conflict for power and resources in the southwestern Kasai province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo brought about a resurgence of violence that has made more than 24,000 people in just one month leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a press release on Friday.
"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that a resurgence in violence and renewed tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Great Kasai Region could trigger another wave of mass displacement in the country if the situation does not improve," the press release read.
According to the UNHCR, more than 24,000 people including many children, women and elderly have fled in the past month alone from three separate conflicts related to land disputes, clashes over resources, and confrontations between different ethnic groups, authorities and militias. These people have reported to the UNHCR killings, rape, torture, looting and burning of homes.
"UNHCR is calling for renewed focus on the Kasai to restore peace and defuse tensions. We are also appealing for the allocation of resources to respond to the needs of displaced Congolese in the region," the agency said.
In the meantime, the UN Refugee Agency said it had arranged the distribution of cash and goods of urgent need among the newly-displaced Congolese for them to afford shelter and food as communities to which they relocate themselves suffer extreme poverty and malnutrition.
The agency also keeps a register of the displaced people and serves as a reference point for survivors of sexual violence to seek medical care and psycho-social support, as stated in the press release.
In 2017, violence in Kasai led to the internal displacement of some 1.4 million people and prompted 35,000 others to seek refuge in neighboring Angola.
