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Hunger and disease stalk refugee camps as families flee escalating violence in DR Congo
Sprawling tent city
Thousands of tiny makeshift shelters hug the road leading north out of Goma, a symptom of the vast humanitarian crisis gripping DR Congo's turbulent east.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Organised chaos
Since late October, many tens of thousands of people have flocked towards the relative safety of the city, fleeing the advance of the M23 rebel group.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Food scarcity
Despite aid efforts, most of the displaced have complained of hunger, and several described having to fight for food.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Mass migration
Precise numbers are hard to come by, but according to International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures from late November, more than 140,000 people are camping in the Nyiragongo area north of the city of two million, or sleeping in churches and schools.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
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Finding shelter
Furaha Nyirahabimana Pelaji, 32, who left her village because of the war, found refuge with her family in a classroom where she spent the night with over 33 other families
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
A looming presence
The most vulnerable have settled near the roadside, packed inside tents cobbled together from sticks and tarpaulin on fields of lava spouted from the looming volcano Mount Nyiragongo.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Starting again
Baduku Eric and Kabire Jean, both 23, build a small house where they will shelter with their younger siblings.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Heading off hunger
Women and children wait to receive food prepared by a Unicef-supported feeding programme for malnourished infants.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Heavy load
A makala (charcoal) trader rides his loaded motorcycle to the market in the city of Goma.
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Fight for survival
Refugees sell meat to support themselves, but poor hygiene at the camp poses a substantial risk to human health.
Cholera has also recently broken out, with a lack of water and sanitation exacerbating the problem.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Business as usual
Street vendors Prince, left, and Jonathan, right, walk with their wares at the Kanyaruchinya camp
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Taking a break
Clothing vendor Yoshuwa Munjokolwa with his wares. Fighting in the province displaced about 370,000 people by November 28, according to the IOM, compared to about 90,000 in late October.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Scratching out a living
Motorcyclist Omar Faustin, 27, tries to pick up work but he is unfamiliar with his new surroundings.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
On the front line
A Congolese military vehicle transports more troops to the conflict zone. The danger remains close by – Kanyaruchinya lies several miles from the front line, which has been quiet in recent weeks.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
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Searching for loved ones
Bazimenya Gasore, 71, was separated from his family when fleeing the conflict. Conditions in the camps are shocking and aid organisations are struggling to respond to the massive movement of people.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
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Rebuilding a life
Among myriad other problems, there is little fresh water in Kanyaruchinya and the rocky lava field makes digging adequate latrines impossible.
Most of the displaced people sleep with just a blanket laid over the rocks. Regular downpours due to the DRC’s rainy season make conditions all the more wretched.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
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No end in sight
Theo Musekura, the president of a displaced people's committee, said about 50 people had already died of illnesses such as cholera, malaria and diarrhoea.
A local hospital offers treatment, but “there are too many people,” he said.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Food vendors
It is estimated that 80 per cent of those displaced in Kanyaruchinya are Congolese Hutus from the Rutshuru area of North Kivu.
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Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images