Why situation in eastern DR Congo has reached dangerous phase
Reports indicate that the M23 has expanded its control of mining sites in the region thereby increasing its monthly taxes.
The situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has entered a worrying phase following the killing of at least 11 people on Thursday after explosions rocked a rally organised by the political arm of the M23 armed group, the Congo River Alliance, in Bukavu.
The event that prompted a series of accusations with M23 accusing the government of being behind it as the government blamed "a foreign army" signalled danger for the locals who continue to suffer the most harm as the two factions proceed with their rivalry.
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The rally happened days after the group captured the South Kivu from the local administration and a day before the group set up its administration led by Birato Rwihimba Emmanuel who was appointed and named as the governor to be deputised by Mr Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge – vice-governor in charge of Political, Administrative, and Legal Affairs – and Mr Gishinge Gasinzira Juvénal – Vice-Governor in charge of Economic, Financial, and Development Affairs.
The group has also seemingly settled in North Kivu Province with it captured in January and set up an administrative unit that has since moved in and has been meeting stakeholders in different sectors including teachers this week over the resumption of learning in the region.
The move to set up administrative units, unlike before, has been seen by some as a ploy to annex the region from DRC, as it gives M23 control of power, resources and people not to improve bargaining power in the proposed peace talks under the merged Luanda and Nairobi peace talks.
Another civil war
If the talks fail as calls for a ceasefire have, the country may plunge into another civil war whose effects might spill over to neighbouring states and disrupt parallel operations like Operation Shujaa which has been fighting against the sanctioned group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) which though weakened near the Ugandan border, a UN report says it expanded its territorial footprint across Ituri and North Kivu and is alleged to have closed ranks with the Da'esh (ISIS).
At the same time, it could cause an influx of refugees from the DRC to neighbouring states, a move that would be catastrophic at this time when the USAID funds have been suspended thus affecting UNHCR and affiliated organisations' work in the region.
A month ago, UNHCR's head Filippo Grandi ordered an immediate clampdown on expenditure, including a 90-day delay in ordering new supplies except for emergencies, a hiring and contract freeze, and a halt to all international air travel, as the agency tries to adapt to the US funding freeze.
Last week, the refugee agency that is leading the response to the mass displacement of people from the eastern DRC said that as fighting escalated, more than 40,000 Congolese refugees, primarily women and children had crossed into Burundi since February, with over 9,000 arrivals recorded in a single day.
"Around 6,000 refugees have entered through Bujumbura's official border post, the vast majority more than 36,000, have arrived via the River Rusizi, often in critical condition after long journeys on foot," UN said.
Makeshift boats
Some, it noted, are risking their lives by using makeshift boats to traverse the River Rusizi, a dangerous crossing at the border shared by Burundi, the DRC and Rwanda.
"This is the very first time that Burundi is receiving this large number of people in a matter of a few days, so everyone is overwhelmed; the government, but also the humanitarian actors in the country," UNHCR Representative in Burundi Mukanga-Eno noted, adding that the last of such high rate of movement was recorded in the early 2000s.
While Bujumbura has granted the Congolese fleeing the conflict at home prima facie refugee status to ensure their protection, the unprecedented influx according to the UN is straining the locally available resources.
The refugees are now sheltered temporarily at the Rugombo Stadium in open-air conditions, as well as in schools and churches.
"However, these sites are overcrowded and dangerously close to the border.
The UN has launched appeals, coordinated humanitarian responses, and developed plans to help refugees and their host communities.
“Unfortunately, the conditions for receptions are very limited. The government has allocated land to create a more sustainable settlement, but for now, people are still in schools and stadiums without adequate shelter," Eno explained.
Mobile emergency teams
The mass departures from displacement camps in Goma have also seen some humanitarian organisations like the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) adjust their emergency response by deploying mobile teams to support people who are, once again, on the move, returning to hometowns they had previously fled face uncertain and perilous conditions.
Reports indicate that the M23 has expanded its control of mining sites in the region thereby increasing its monthly taxes, a UN investigation released in December last year found that the armed group earns USD800,000 monthly from the taxes it imposes.
On Friday, the organisation noted that the landscape of Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, has dramatically changed in just a few weeks.
"Before the M23/AFC seized the city at the end of January, Goma, hosted around 650,000 displaced people, most of them living in makeshift sites on the city's outskirts and was home to two million residents," the organisation said, adding that some camps started to empty as fighting escalated in late January, and virtually all were abandoned after the de facto new authorities ordered people to return to their places of origin.
While some displaced people chose to stay near Goma, the majority left north or west toward neighbouring territories, unsure of what awaited them.
Within days, endless lines of men, women, and children appeared on the roads, carrying what little they could by foot, motorbike or shared minibus.
"Given these massive movements, we deployed teams along the return routes to assess the health facilities that would be overwhelmed by this sudden influx of patients. Everywhere, we found the same reality: health facilities that were already barely functional before the crisis were either abandoned or, at worst, destroyed or looted. These facilities are now expected to cope – and there is a risk that diseases such as cholera, mpox or measles, which were present in the camps, could spread," said Anthony Kergosien, head of MSF's mobile activities around Goma.
Beyond Burundi, smaller but significant numbers of displaced people have reached other neighbouring countries with Uganda registering over 13,000 arrivals since January, mostly through the Nyakabande transit centre.
On its part, Tanzania said 53 Congolese refugees sought asylum in Kigoma on February 19, marking the highest daily arrival figure this year.
Kenya is yet to announce whether it has recorded an influx of refugees from eastern DRC.
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