© UNHCR/S.Schulman

Simmering insecurity continues to force Congolese civilians in North Kivu to flee their homes and seek security in one of many camps for the internally displaced in the volatile region.

While there has not been all-out fighting in the province of eastern DRC since 2009, sporadic clashes between rival armed groups continue. Violence against civilians also lies just under the surface and women and girls are at particular risk of abuse. This continued violence in North Kivu has displaced around 500,000 people in recent years.

Recent clashes between the Congolese army and its allies and the Rwandese ethnic Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, have forced people to flee their homes on a daily basis. This has led to the establishment of new spontaneous settlements for the internally displaced.

Kalinga is one of 14 camps in North Kivu's Masisi district and has reached full capacity with about 2,000 internally displaced Congolese. At the end of January, there were an estimated 176,000 internally displaced people in Masisi, including 49,000 in the camps.

The situation has made life more difficult and dangerous for everybody, and the internally displaced need continuing assistance and protection. Justine, a 54-year-old widow with six children in Kalinga, explains that; "Even if we get help from the humanitarian agencies from time to time, it's not enough to feed the whole family. We have to find other sources to help us survive."

This normally means day labour in the fields, or collecting and selling firewood, which can make women and girls a target for armed men. Forced labour, rape and looting are common.

The camps for the internally displaced are also vulnerable to attack. UNHCR and its partners have complained to the regional authorities about "frequent incursions by armed men in some of the camps and the lack of [adequate] police to protect displaced populations." Guy-Rufin Guernas, a senior UNHCR protection officer based in Goma, has stated that this insecurity "hinders protection and the implementation of durable solutions for internally displaced people."

UNHCR has urged the central government to take the lead in finding a solution. Meanwhile, UNHCR and its partners continue to provide basic assistance in protection, health, education and sanitation even though the security situation hampers their ability to do too much.