Community members displaced by fighting are seen at a primary school, which is serving as a displacement site in Rutshuru, DRC. © Hugh Kinsella Cunningham / Save the Children
Save the Children, the international charity organisation, has called for unrestricted humanitarian access in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the organisation said about 120,000 children have been displaced from their homes in the wake of escalating violence in the region this month.
On Sunday, several bombs exploded in the town of Chebumba, killing at least two adults and wounding four children.
Save the Children added that Minova, a town in South Kivu, where it operates through partners, was attacked on Tuesday, with routes out of the town cut off and access for humanitarian aid blocked.
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The charity organisation said its workers reported that some children were injured while unaccompanied ones were desperately searching for their parents.
Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s country director for DRC, urged international agencies to intervene.
“Children are getting caught in the crossfire, and time is running out for them. Humanitarian access has been blocked to the already vulnerable populations,” Ramm said.
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“We urge all parties involved in the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access.
“We reiterate our call on the international community to take immediate actions to address the rapidly unfolding humanitarian crisis in the DRC.
“This includes providing emergency assistance to those displaced, supporting efforts to protect civilians, and working towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
Conflict in DRC has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with nearly seven million people, including at least 3.5 million children, displaced and more than 26 million people—or one in every four people—in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the charity organisation.
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