RDC: Mouvement de Liberation du Congo (M.L.C) – Communique Officiel sur l’Insecurite Grandissante a l’Est de la RDC (01.09.2020)

RDC: Lucha & Filimbi – Communique Conjoint (01.09.2020)

RDC: Communique du Mouvement Citoyen les Congolais Debout en Reaction au Tweet de l’Ambassadeur du Rwanda en Republique Democratique du Congo au Sujet de la Commemoration des Massacres de Kasika (Sud Kivu) dy 24 Aout 1998 (29.08.2020)

Chad: Complex security, environmental crises worsen conditions for over 360,000 in western Chad (29.08.2020)

Many families are facing heavy rainfall without proper housing, with the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 29, 2020 – More than 360,000 internally displaced persons in Chad’s Lake province are facing a “double” crisis, exposed to security and environmental risks, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported, highlighting the need to strengthen resilience of affected communities.

According to Paul Dillon, an IOM spokesperson, while the region has been a target of repeated attacks by insurgents since 2015, the situation has worsened dramatically in 2020.

“Recurrent security attacks and incursions by non-State armed groups since the beginning of the year prompted the Chadian Government in March to declare the departments of Fouli and Kaya, two of Lake Chad’s borderlands departments ‘war zones’,” he said.

Since April, the number of the displaced has increased by almost 22 per cent, according to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, a tool to monitor displacement and movement of people in emergency or crisis situations.

Double crisis 

Located in the western part of Chad, the Lake (or Lac) region borders Nigeria and Niger. The three nations along with Cameroon form the Lake Chad Basin, where thousands have lost their lives and millions forced to flee their homes due to attacks by non-State armed insurgents.

The crisis has also exacerbated food security, leaving many dependent on humanitarian assistance.

In addition to the security challenges, the situation in the Lake region has been further complicated by some of the heaviest rainfall in nearly 30 years, with roughly 400 millimetres of rainfall that resulted in flash floods in villages and fields.

“This is a worrying trend as the displacement is recurrent, protracted due to the deterioration of security and environmental situations, and involves large in numbers of people,” said Mr. Dillon.

IOM response 

In response, IOM is providing emergency assistance to vulnerable populations. It has delivered more than 2,500 transitory and semi-permanent shelters to nearly 13,000 persons; and over 2,700 non-food item packages including hygiene kits, sleeping mats, clothes and basic cooking equipment for over 14,000 persons.

However, much more is needed immediately as many families are facing heavy rainfall without proper housing, with the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, three-quarters of the displaced persons IOM identified live in displacement sites, most of which are made of straw and metal shelters.

Many of them sleep in the open without adequate protection from bad weather, with limited access to amenities such as water, hygiene facilities, health services and COVID-19 protective equipment.

RDC: Communique du Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC) – (28.08.2020)

RDC: Lucha & Filimbi – Communique Conjoint – Appel a la Mobilisation pour Exiger le Depart de M Vincent Karega, Ambassadeur du Rwanda en RDC (27.08.2020)

RDC: Communique du Front Commun pour le Congo (24.08.2020)

RDC: Message de Moise Katumbi Chapwe, President de Ensemble pour la Republique au Forum de Haut Niveau pour un Consenus sur la Reforme Electorale Organise a Kinshasa le 24/08/2020 (23.08.2020)

Tchad: Groupe des Deputes du Mayo-Kebbi – Appel a la Paix et a la Securite au Mayo Kebbi (21.08.2020)

Ebola outbreak in western Democratic Republic of the Congo reaches 100 cases (21.08.2020)

This latest outbreak was declared on 1 June 2020 in Equateur Province.

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (Republic of the), August 21, 2020 – The number of cases in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 100, a near two-fold increase in a little over five weeks.

This latest outbreak, DRC’s 11th, was declared on 1 June 2020 in Equateur Province. A cluster of cases was initially detected in Mbandaka, the provincial capital. The outbreak has since spread to 11 of the province’s 17 health zones. Of the 100 cases reported so far, 96 are confirmed and four are probable. Forty-three people have lost their lives.

The outbreak presents significant logistical challenges, with affected communities spanning large distances in remote and densely-forested areas of the province, which straddles the Equator. At its widest points, the outbreak is spread across approximately 300 km both from east to west and from north to south. It can take days to reach affected populations, with responders and supplies often having to traverse areas without roads, necessitating long periods of river boat travel.

An Ebola outbreak occurred in the same province in May 2018 and was contained in less than three months with 54 cases and 33 deaths recorded.

“With 100 Ebola cases in less than 100 days, the outbreak in Equateur Province is evolving in a concerning way,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “The virus is spreading across a wide and rugged terrain which requires costly interventions and with COVID-19 draining resources and attention, it is hard to scale-up operations.”

The current response is underfunded, adding challenges to the existing logistical barriers. WHO initially provided US$ 1.7 million and subsequently supplemented this with another US$ 600 000 from its contingency fund for emergencies. The DRC Ministry of Health has presented an integrated plan to donors and partners for about US$ 40 million and has committed US$ 4 million. There is a critical need for additional support.

“Without extra support the teams on the ground will find it harder to get ahead of the virus,” said Dr Moeti. “COVID-19 is not the only emergency needing robust support. As we know from our recent history we ignore Ebola at our peril.”

The majority of the responders have been mobilized locally under the leadership of the DRC Government. There are currently 90 WHO experts on the ground, as well as experts from nearly 20 partner organizations supporting the response. Since the beginning of the outbreak, WHO has supported the ring vaccination of more than 22 600 people at high risk.

Along with its partners, WHO helped to screen more than 640 000 people across 40 points of control that were set up to help keep travellers safe when crossing into an affected area. WHO has also worked to raise awareness about Ebola among nearly 774 000 people in the affected communities on how to recognize symptoms and seek treatment.

Furthermore, WHO and partners are also ready to support the Ministry of Health in implementing preparedness and readiness activities in currently unaffected health zones of Equateur in a bid to curtail the further spread of the outbreak.