Democratic Republic of the Congo: Situation is volatile and dangerous - Presser | United Nations

Press Conference by Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations and Mr. Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the situation on the ground in DRC “remains volatile and dangerous.”

During a press briefing at the United Nations headquarters today (27 Jan) Lacroix said, “The civilian population in a region that is already massively affected, and where the humanitarian challenges are daunting, certainly the risks of a broader humanitarian disaster are very high. And of course, we also want to avoid the risk of a broader war.”
To ensure the safety of UN personnel, the mission has begun evacuating staff from Goma “by air and road.”
Lacroix noted that the safety and security of the UN personnel “is and must be paramount.”

Despite the challenging environment, MONUSCO continues its efforts to protect civilians and stabilize the region, “and that includes disarming combatants in conformity with international humanitarian law. There are significant numbers of civilians and also disarmed combatants that are currently in various MONUSCO premises,” Lacroix noted.

Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General said, “With close to 6.5 million displaced people in the country, including close to 3 million displaced people in North Kivu, over one-third of the population of North Kivu is already displaced,” in addition to the new Goma crisis unfolding.

Lemarquis described the dire conditions faced by civilians as fighting spreads across Goma. “The humanitarian situation in and around Goma is extremely, extremely worrying, with new thresholds of violence and suffering reached today, as active zones of combat have spread to all quarters of the city—all the neighborhoods of the city. Civilians are bearing the brunt of the escalating hostilities. This morning, heavy artillery fire was directed at the city center,” he reported.

Hospitals in Goma are struggling to cope. “Hospitals in Goma are overwhelmed in spite of the support provided, for example, by MSF and ICRC. They are struggling to manage the influx of wounded people,” Lemarquis said, highlighting that the General Hospital, with a capacity of 146 beds, was treating 259 patients, including 90 civilians, just three days ago.

Basic services have also been severely disrupted, with water and electricity compromised and Internet service cut as of 1 p.m. Monday. “Phone networks remain operational, but it's patchy and not helping the humanitarian response and coordination,” Lemarquis explained.

Amid these challenges, the UN is relocating personnel and their families to safety. “We have taken both our international personnel and national personnel and their dependents to two locations—one in-country, Kinshasa, and the other one in Entebbe, where we have a large UN base,” Lemarquis said.

Lacroix emphasized the importance of regional cooperation to resolve the crisis. “The recent announcement of an upcoming meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council is very important. We look forward to further engagement by the African Union in the efforts that are currently being made with a view to bringing about the cessation of hostilities. We count on the AU’s involvement in those efforts,” he said.