Goma, the day after: HI’s response to the emergency

Major risks for civilians

The clashes have stopped in the regional capital Goma, in the east of the DRC. After days of intense fighting, the M23 armed group took control of the town at the end of January. According to the UN, the death toll in Goma was almost 3,000¹.

Life is gradually returning to normal. Markets are beginning to open up again so people can buy supplies, but the town has been without water, electricity and internet for several days. This situation is worsening the existing humanitarian crisis and increasing the risk of an outbreak and spread of cholera and other water-borne diseases. Nearly two million people, local populations and displaced people, are living in a situation of extreme fragility.

“In the north of the city, the camps for displaced people were partially deserted and some looted, leading to population movements. Some sites emptied completely in the space of a few hours during the clashes, with people returning a few days later. We can expect other major population movements over the next few days. Many people are afraid of being forcibly relocated and are moving between sites,” explains Olivier Terzolo, HI's director in the DRC.

In this context, communities are also exposed to numerous other risks of violence. In particular, the extremely precarious situation of the populations and the context of insecurity are likely to increase the risks of abuse and economic and sexual exploitation of women and children.

Rehabilitation and mental health support

HI has relaunched its activities in Goma to respond to the urgent needs of the population. In Minova, in South Kivu, HI and International Medical Corps have set up a mobile clinic to provide health, nutrition, rehabilitation and mental health support to people affected by the violence. This emergency mental health and rehabilitation response is to be extended rapidly to other areas, particularly on the outskirts of Goma.

Teams of HI physical therapists have also been deployed to two ICRC and MSF hospitals in Goma. The city's hospitals and health centres, already saturated, have seen a new influx of wounded over the last few days. The vast majority of these patients have been injured by bullets, shrapnel and projectiles, and many need amputations. After the medical emergency phase, HI's rehabilitation teams support hospital teams in providing follow-up physiotherapy for patients.

Finally, HI is looking into the possibility of deploying risk education activities to make people aware of the dangers posed by the unexploded ordnance that now litters the city and its surroundings, with a view to avoiding sometimes fatal accidents.

An urgent need for storage space for humanitarian supplies

During the fighting in Goma, several NGO storage warehouses were vandalised and looted, including HI’s.

“We went back to assess the extent of the damage. The warehouse is littered with debris and part of the building has been burnt down. We were storing more than 45 tonnes of equipment there for various partner NGOs: a full container of nutrient-rich foods for children, building materials, tents, medical equipment, hygiene products, and so on. It's incredible and really sad, there's nothing left,” says Sébastien Arrivé, Logistics Operations Manager in Goma.

In the current emergency situation, with camps dismantled and displaced people forced onto the roads, the needs are huge. The humanitarian community is mobilising to deliver emergency aid. While some access roads, particularly from South Kivu, remain blocked for fear of renewed fighting, the border with Rwanda reopened on Monday 3 February. Trucks are managing to bring supplies into Goma, despite the huge traffic jams at the checkpoints. 

“Humanitarian aid is going to be arriving very soon but, for the moment, there is no functional storage space in Goma. We need to find a solution very quickly, because without a safe place to store goods, nothing can be transported out to meet the needs of the people,” concludes Sébastien Arrivé.

Article RFI (French)