Over 200 dead as thousands flee and violence flares in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Report by Emma Ogao/ABC News
At least 200 people have been killed and thousands have been forced to flee following a sharp uptick of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a “dramatic resurgence” of violence, the March 23 Movement (M23) armed rebel group is advancing towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, forcing thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire to flee as fighting intensifies between M23, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and various other armed groups.
Aid organizations tell ABC News that they are seeing an influx of wounded civilians in Goma and Sake — a small city around 12 miles from Goma considered the last line of defense to the capital — amid reports of intensified use of heavy artillery, shelling and indiscriminate bombing in civilian areas.
“Patients just keep arriving on motorcycles and buses,” says the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “Continuous fighting is making the delivery of aid increasingly difficult or even impossible, especially in the case of medical supplies, in the isolated areas of Rutshuru and Masisi.”
According to the United Nations, over 200 civilians have been killed in Ituri province in eastern DRC and over the last few weeks, more than 52,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes. The new escalation of violence has destroyed over 2,000 homes and closed or demolished 80 schools.
Doctors without Borders (MSF) says many of the war-wounded civilians have come in with gunshot wounds and injuries from explosions
