UNHCR condemns deadly attack on displaced people in DR Congo

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, condemns in the strongest terms the most recent attack against displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which took place on 19 March in the village of Gudda, Ituri Province.

At least 12 people including children and women were killed in the attack, in which the perpetrators used machetes before setting several homes ablaze and stealing livestock. The victims had recently returned to Gudda after previous internal displacement.

Ituri Province and other areas in eastern DRC are suffering from an escalation in the activity of armed groups, which are profiting from a security vacuum in the region. The cycle of violence against civilians plagues the lives of many who have already been driven from their homes.

UNHCR repeats its call for all parties to respect the humanitarian and civil character of settlements for displaced people and urges them to adhere to their obligations under international law to protect and safeguard civilian lives at all times.

The DRC hosts 5.6 million displaced people, most of whom reside in the eastern part of the country in North and South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika provinces.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

• In DR Congo, Joel Smith, [email protected], +24 382 525 7774
• In DR Congo (regional), Hélène Caux, [email protected], +27 82 376 5190
• In Geneva, Boris Cheshirkov, [email protected], +41 79 433 7682
• In New York, Kathryn Mahoney, [email protected], +1 347 443 7646