Exclusive photos of IDP camp in Goma amid DRC war

In Summary

•Kenyan and South Sudan contingent troops under the East African Community Regional Force have been deployed in Tongo within Rutshuru territory.

•The deployment of the two contingents in the area follows a successful reconnaissance on April 10, 2023

by MAUREEN KINYANJUI News Reporter

InPictures

19 April 2023 - 10:53

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Fresh clashes with M23 rebels that erupted last week led to the displacement of hundreds of people in Eastern DRC.

This has triggered a vast humanitarian crisis as it closed in on the provincial capital Goma, a trade hub of over one million people.

The clashes erupted after weeks of relative calm in the troubled region.

A Tutsi-led group, the M23 has won a string of victories against the army and enemy militias since re-emerging from dormancy in late 2021, capturing swathes of North Kivu province.

This has led to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and witnessed difficult conditions faced by civilians in the area.

As a result, Kenyan and South Sudan contingent troops under the East African Community Regional Force have been deployed in Tongo within Rutshuru territory.

This, according to officials, will enhance the protection of civilians, opening up the Bunagana-Rutshuru-Rumangabo-Kibumba-Goma main supply route for the free movement of people and goods for socioeconomic development and enhancing humanitarian support to the population.

The deployment of the two contingents in the area follows a successful reconnaissance on April 10, 2023, led by the contingent Commander Col Daniel Rotich who assured residents that the troops deployed in Tongo will work together with the population to enhance security in the region.