Conditions continue to worsen dramatically in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where 25.5 million people face the danger of hunger, a Baptist leader there said.
In a series of recent emails to the Baptist Standard, Léon Lepamabila, secretary general of the Communauté Baptiste des Fidèles en Afrique and a pastor in Kinshasa, said pastors and representatives of nonprofits working in the region reported severe food insecurity and overcrowded hospitals.
Lepamabila pointed to continuing violence in Goma in North Kivu Province and Bakuva in South Kivu Province, which are controlled by the Rwanda-supported M23 rebel paramilitary group.
Additionally, in mid-February, the bodies of 70 Christians were found bound and beheaded inside a Baptist church in the eastern Lubero Territory of North Kivu — an action attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist rebel group.
North Kivu and South Kivu are home to six Baptist conventions, Lepamabila noted. Churches affiliated with those conventions have an estimated 2.4 million members, making Baptists the third-largest Christian group in the region, behind Roman Catholics and Pentecostals, he said.
Food insecurity, safety concerns noted
Violence in North Kivu has damaged essential infrastructure, increasing food insecurity in the region, Lepamabila stated.
“The supply chain has been severely disrupted, breaking links between producers, markets and consumers. This situation has led to soaring prices, shortages of basic products and currency depreciation on the local market,” he wrote.
Making matters worse, at least 3,000 tons of food provided by the United Nations World Food Programme was looted from a warehouse in Goma, he added.
In addition to health issues related to lack of food and outbreaks of cholera and mpox, the six major hospitals in Goma have been “overwhelmed by the influx of injured people,” and medical facilities “now fear an imminent shortage of medicines,” Lepamabila reported.
“There is a persistent threat of explosive devices of war in Goma and its outlying areas,” he wrote, noting two children were injured in grenade explosions in Goma’s Bujovu District.
As of mid-February, more than 3,000 injuries and 842 deaths were recorded in Goma’s health zones, he stated.
In South Kivu, Lepamabila reported clashes between the Congolese army and M23 forces in mid-February.
“Although no active fighting was reported when the M23 took Kavumu airport on 13 February and when Bukavu was taken on 16 February, heavy gunfire was heard between 14 and 16 February in several locations in the city,” he wrote.
Looting on Feb. 15 not only included businesses and homes, but also a World Food Programme warehouse, he added.
“For security reasons, many international (non-governmental organizations) NGOs have relocated their staff outside the city,” he wrote.
Increased lawlessness
A local pastor reported more than a dozen cases of home burglaries by armed robbers, and at least three people were killed.
“This increase in crime is believed to be due to the circulation of weapons abandoned by [DRC Armed Forces] soldiers, which raises the risk of increased insecurity in the province,” Lepamabila wrote.
Violence in Uvira caused “security risks for medical teams and the delivery of supplies, hindering humanitarian access, including the movement of ambulances,” he added.
As of Feb. 20, provincial health care providers reported 159 people with gunshot wounds admitted to hospitals and other facilities in Bukavu and Uvira, Lepamabila stated.
In Kalehe territory, local authorities reported more than 50,000 people were forced to flee due to violence, including more than 10,000 who crossed the border into Burundi, and about 80% of homes and public infrastructure in central Kalehe was destroyed due to fighting.
Humanitarian response plan announced
The DRC government and humanitarian partners announced Feb. 27 a response plan that calls for $2.54 billion to deliver aid to 11 million Congolese, including 7.8 million internally displaced people.
Last year, humanitarian groups in the DRC received $1.3 billion in funding. However, the United States covered 70% of that amount, and foreign aid is currently suspended by executive order.
“We stand at a crossroads. Without increased international mobilization, humanitarian needs will skyrocket, regional stability will be further jeopardized, and our capacity to respond will be severely compromised,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in the DRC.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Baptist Standard.)
