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Democratic Republic of the Congo UNHCR Mid-Month Update (1 – 15 February 2020)

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RD Congo
+ 3
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UNHCR
Date de publication
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This document provides a mid-month update on major developments between the publication of UNHCR’s monthly Operational Updates.

Refugees

  • On 11 February, UNHCR and partner ADSSE started a one-month awareness-raising campaign on peaceful coexistence amongst South Sudanese refugees. A group of 152 individuals has indeed been remaining at the Aru Waystation, Ituri Province, since September 2018 for fear of coexistence issues if relocated to Biringi settlement.

  • In the first half of February, UNHCR relocated 70 South Sudanese refugees (26 households) from Dungu to the new Bele settlement, in Haut Uele Province. This brings the total to 1,377 refugees (558 households) relocated to Bele settlement since in September 2019. In addition, UNHCR distributed core relief items (CRIs), such as kitchen sets, soap, blankets, mats, jerry cans and plastic buckets, to 459 persons (179 households) already installed in Bele.

  • After floods destroyed hectares of farmland in Nord Ubangi Province in late 2019, UNHCR’s partner AIDES supported local communities in the refugee-hosting village of Kambo, near the border with the Central African Republic, to relaunch fishing and agricultural activities. Fishing kits composed of nets and hooks were distributed to 10 persons, while a ten hectare nursery was set up to grow vegetables. Community farming enhances the self-reliance of refugees and members of the local population, and helps promote peaceful coexistence.

  • In the first half of February, UNHCR distributed school kits composed of notebooks, pens, pencils, geometry boxes, school bags, shoes and rulers, to 5,148 primary school children in Aba (near Meri settlement) and in Bele settlement, Haut Uele Province. Among the children, 4,292 were South Sudanese refugees and 856 were vulnerable local children.

  • As part of its “Sport for Protection” project funded by the Olympic Refugee Foundation, UNHCR and partners built a 150-seat seating area and supported the community in rehabilitating the sports pitch at the local stadium in Gbadolite, Nord Ubangi Province, where over 10,500 refugees from the Central African Republic are hosted. The project uses sports to promote peaceful coexistence between refugees and locals, and to enhance the protection of young people.

  • Through its health partners, UNHCR assisted two unaccompanied refugee children from the Central African Republic who were in dire need of surgery. The two siblings were transported from the remote locality of Yakoma to the city of Gbadolite for further examination, and were provided shelter, food and clothes before being further referred to Kinshasa, capital of the DRC. Healthcare is very basic in remote locations like Yakoma, where almost 112,000 Central African refugees are estimated to be living in out-of-camp locations.

Congolese returnees

  • On 14 February, 130 Congolese returnees arrived in Kananga, Kasai Central Province, from Lóvua settlement in Angola, as part of UNHCR’s organized repatriation process. This was the first convoy since late November 2019, as repatriations were halted in December and January due to bad weather and road conditions. This brings to 2,723 the total number of organized voluntary repatriations since October 2019, in addition to the almost 15,000 refugees who spontaneously returned to DRC since mid-2019.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

  • In Beni Territory (North Kivu Province), a military operation against armed groups caused the armed groups to move towards the forest of Mambasa Territory, Ituri Province. On 7 and 9 February, presumed members of the ADF armed group attacked local populations in villages near Mambasa town, causing a significant preventive displacement from nearby Mangina, Beni Territory (North Kivu Province), to the cities of Beni, Oicha and Butembo and their surroundings. In Mambasa, the population demonstrated against the repeated attacks.

  • Since December 2019, about 150,000 IDPs have fled towards Nobili, North Kivu Province, forcing many to seek shelter in public places such as churches, schools and in the open. As of 8 February, UNHCR’s partner Caritas provided 3,728 emergency shelters to 1,884 displaced households in Nobili, as many large households need more than one shelter. This brought the total to 2,121 households (18,431 individuals) who received shelter support.

  • On 7 February, OCHA issued a note about the resurgence of inter-community violence in Nyunzu Territory, Tanganyika Province, which it estimates has displaced some 31,500 persons (6,500 households). The situation led 12 humanitarian organizations, including UNHCR, to suspend their activities in the area as some humanitarian actors were targeted.

  • On 10 February, UNHCR and partners AIRD and CNR handed over community market buildings to three return villages in Kalemie Territory, Tanganyika Province, where displaced persons have started to go back. The markets aim to revitalize the fragile local economy and promote returnees’ self-reliance. In the same villages, 600 shelters were also constructed in 2019 as part of UNHCR’s assistance for returnees.

  • In the first week of February, UNHCR and partner Caritas built 70 emergency shelters at the new Kigonze displacement site in Bunia, Ituri Province, bringing the total to 1,725 shelters built at the site so far.

  • Also at Kigonze site, water availability remained a serious concern. According to UNHCR and partner Caritas, the quantity of available water did not exceed 3,5 to 5 liters per person per day, which is far below the 15-liter standard. UNHCR and IOM are seeking an urgent response to close this gap. IOM is preparing water-trucking as an interim measure, while it is committed to start the construction of water wells in the coming weeks.

Clusters and Working Groups

  • The CCCM Working Group at the Kigonze site, co-lead by UNHCR and IOM, is seeking support from the Education Cluster and the Child Protection Working Group to pay for teachers’ salaries. A school was constructed by the Government; however, no additional funding is currently available for it to become operational. At least 2,000 displaced school-aged children at Kigonze are missing school.