Source: APO
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Conflict and armed violence in Ituri Province in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are trapping civilians in a murderous cycle, with thousands suffering in silence. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has distributed food to almost 12,000 people who have returned home after leaving everything behind when they fled armed attacks.
Every family in the chieftancy of Mambisa, Djugu territory, has received essential items such as kitchen utensils, soap and blankets, along with enough food to last them one month. When they returned after fleeing a series of armed attacks and violent incidents in August, most found their houses burned down and their property looted. The ICRC is helping people fleeing the violence and those who are trying to return home. The aim is to meet people’s immediate needs, but their main concern is security.
One of Thérèse’s* children was killed and others were seriously injured. Her house was burned down during the attack on her village. “Before the war, I lived here with my nine children and my grand-children,” she explains. “Our house wasn’t very big, but it was enough for us. I never imagined I’d see the blood of my children shed in my house, or that war would suddenly take my house away from me.”
For many years, Ituri has endured cycles of violence – military operations, clashes between armed groups and increasing numbers of incursions, attacks and other violence directly targeting the civilian population. And this despite international humanitarian law (IHL) prohibiting attacks that target civilians or civilian property.
The consequences are grave – death, injury, mass displacement, sexual violence, ill-treatment, child recruitment and the loss of homes and livelihoods. Civilians are paying the price, bearing the brunt of the violence and the consequences of breaches of IHL and humanitarian principles.
Needs increase, but the scope for humanitarian aid is limited
Chronic conflict and violence have sapped the resilience of communities and impeded their access to essential goods and services.
Most people are afraid that they will be killed if they return to their farms in areas where weapon-bearers are present. The majority of the population are farmers, and their inability to grow food is aggravating shortages. According to the UN, some 1.5 million people in Ituri are suffering food insecurity. Under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the situation corresponds to Phase 3 or worse, with Phase 3 being defined as “crisis”.
Joséphine has been receiving assistance from the ICRC. “Since 2017, I’ve had to move several times, and I’ve lived in four different places. I come from Fataki in Djugu territory, where my family had fields and property. I can’t go back, because the situation there is still unstable, and there’s nothing left.”
People are finding it harder to obtain health care, just when the number of casualties with weapon wounds is increasing because of rising violence. Health facilities in areas affected by attacks and violence are struggling to operate normally and are unable to provide adequate care for the sick and wounded. Facilities have been attacked and looted, and some qualified personnel have fled. Most facilities are experiencing shortages of medical supplies and a lack of equipment. Casualties have to travel long distances to obtain proper treatment.
Those medical facilities that are still operating have been dealing with increasing numbers of weapon-wounded patients, especially during July and August, when a large number of attacks occurred. Médecins Sans Frontières is supporting Salama Clinic in the provincial capital, Bunia. They report having received over 350 patients with weapon wounds since the beginning of the year, with more than 200 arriving between July and October alone.
Alfred Wadie is the deputy head of the ICRC’s Bunia sub-delegation. “The ICRC is supporting a number of medical facilities in the territories of Djugu and Irumu,” he explains. “Our teams have seen a drop in the number of women and children attending those facilities, mainly because the lack of security is making it harder for people to get there.”
Simultaneously, mass arrivals of internally displaced persons are increasing the pressure on water infrastructure and a shortage of resources is creating community tensions. Water is in short supply in areas affected by displacement, in urban areas, in host families and at sites where displaced people are living. This is forcing some families to use untreated water sources, which carry the risk of water-borne disease.
Serious mental and psychosocial vulnerability
In addition to losing family members and property, people seeking refuge are experiencing severe psychological suffering, especially in connection with family separation or the consequences of sexual and other violence. The majority of those subjected to repeated violence are suffering psychological trauma as a result of their loss and pain.
The violence in many parts of Ituri – increasingly including areas that were previously places of displacement and refuge – is forcing people to move back and forth repeatedly, making them even more vulnerable.
ICRC teams supporting mental health and psychosocial support facilities are seeing hundreds of people with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. This situation is affecting the stability of the entire community.
François Moreillon heads the ICRC delegation in the DRC. “We call on all parties to the conflicts and all those involved in armed violence in Ituri to be aware of the dramatic impact on civilians,” he says. “They absolutely must take the measures needed to protect civilians and their property against all forms of attack and against the consequences of their fighting, in accordance with IHL and with humanitarian principles.”
*All names have been changed
ICRC activities in Ituri, January – September 2025
Economic security
- 6,804 displaced persons who had recently returned to their homes on the Ngongo–Nyangaray axis in Djugu territory received essential household items.
- 510 victims of conflict or violence received cash grants to cover their immediate needs and/or to enable them to undertake production projects (individually or as part of an association) or undergo vocational training.
- 21,030 people who had returned to their homes along the Walu–Bayana and Ngongo–Nyangaray axes in Djugu territory received agricultural tools and food-producing seed.
- 14,226 people who had returned to their homes along the Bayana–Walu axis in Djugu territory received 59,275 linear metres of healthy manioc cuttings so they could resume agricultural production.
- 12,500 linear metres of cuttings from manioc mother plants were supplied to an agricultural association in Songolo, Irumu territory, for multiplication and distribution to communities next year.
Water
- 6,817 people in Busiyo and Malaya, Irumu territory, now have access to six water points, following work carried out on water sources.
- 16,683 people, of whom 6,673 had been displaced from Nizi in Djugu territory, now have better access to drinking water thanks to the installation of water points, which was carried out in conjunction with the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Water-treatment supplies (chlorine, lime and aluminium sulphate) were donated to water supplier REGIDESO so they could continue to supply drinking water to the city of Bunia.
Health care
- 40,410 curative consultations took place in ICRC-supported health centres and hospitals.
- 664 people – including those who had suffered weapon wounds, victims of sexual violence and users of physical rehabilitation services – attended individual mental health and psychosocial support consultations.
- 14 people who had suffered weapon wounds (from firearms or edged weapons) received treatment at the referral hospital in Boga.
- 181 people obtained physical rehabilitation services and/or received mobility aids (including wheelchairs) at the ICRC-supported Rwankole physical rehabilitation centre in Bunia.
Protecting family links
- 27 family reunifications took place, involving children who had been separated from their families by the conflict or other violence.
- 24 tracing requests were opened and 27 children were registered – including unaccompanied children and children who had left armed groups – with a view to searching for their families.
- 193 members of the RDC armed forces (Forces Armées de la RDC, FARDC) and of armed groups attended presentations on IHL, humanitarian principles, the protection of civilians, the fight against sexual violence and the protection of medical personnel and facilities.
- The ICRC is undertaking continuous, bilateral, confidential dialogue with the authorities and with state and non-state weapon bearers regarding their responsibilities towards communities and compliance with IHL and humanitarian principles in the territories of Irumu and Djugu.
Engagement with weapon-bearers
- 193 members of the RDC armed forces (Forces Armées de la RDC, FARDC) and of armed groups attended presentations on IHL, humanitarian principles, the protection of civilians, the fight against sexual violence and the protection of medical personnel and facilities.
- The ICRC is undertaking continuous, bilateral, confidential dialogue with the authorities and with state and non-state weapon bearers regarding their responsibilities towards communities and compliance with IHL and humanitarian principles in the territories of Irumu and Djugu.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
