News
Goma (DRC): a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by insecurity and looting of medical supplies
Publié le 18/02/2025 | Temps de lecture : 3 min
In the last few weeks of January 2025, the city of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saw an upsurge in fighting between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 rebels. The latter’s advance has plunged the population into a climate of widespread anxiety. This new escalation of violence has led to the mass displacement of over 405,000 people, worsening an already critical humanitarian situation.
Première Urgence Internationale is particularly active in health and nutrition in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Our teams provide essential support to vulnerable populations by guaranteeing access to primary healthcare and responding to health emergencies. The upsurge in violence in Goma in recent weeks has jeopardized these efforts, directly impacting the deployment of humanitarian assistance.
Testimony of a Goma resident
The young woman was finally able to leave her home to go to her office, after being locked up for several days with her family. “Even inside my house, I was afraid. At night, everything is exacerbated, the sound of gunfire, the fear of looting,” she confides. “We were without water, electricity and internet for almost two weeks. Some residents had to draw water directly from the lake. Prisoners have escaped, Mpox patients have fled, and we don’t know how to protect ourselves. Finding food is a daily challenge, as market prices have skyrocketed. Without money, we can’t treat ourselves. What future awaits us?”
Looting of humanitarian infrastructures: an obstacle to medical aid
In the chaos of the clashes, the warehouses of several humanitarian organizations, including those of Première Urgence Internationale, were systematically looted. On January 28, stocks of medicines, nutritional inputs and medical equipment were completely devastated or set on fire, jeopardizing the operational capacities of our teams in all our intervention zones in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
According to Première Urgence Internationale’s deputy medical coordinator and head of pharmacy, this loss is estimated at almost 2 million euros, and directly compromises access to care for thousands of patients.
“This incident goes far beyond mere material loss. It is causing a shortage of essential medicines, disrupting supply chains and exposing populations to increased health risks”, he stresses.
Major health risks
The destruction of health infrastructures and the precariousness of living conditions expose the population to several health risks:
- Spread of infectious diseases: The lack of drinking water and hygiene encourages an increase in diarrhoeal diseases and the emergence of epidemics such as cholera, malaria and Mpox, which have already been reported in some affected areas.
- Psychological trauma: Violence and loss of life (over 3,000 deaths) have a lasting impact on the mental health of survivors, requiring psychological support that is often non-existent in conflict situations.
- Overloaded health services: Faced with the influx of wounded, already weakened health centers are struggling to meet urgent needs.
Humanitarian mobilization and outlook
Health infrastructures, including Première Urgence Internationale’s mobile clinics, have been severely affected by the violence, making assistance even more complex. The loss of the NGO’s central pharmacy, which supplied several intervention zones, could lead to prolonged shortages of medicines and medical equipment.
“The looting and burning of medical and nutritional inputs by humanitarian organizations, including those of Première Urgence Internationale, is seriously compromising humanitarian operations by depriving vulnerable populations of vital assistance. These acts are disrupting the supply chain, worsening the health and nutrition crisis and jeopardizing the survival of thousands of people, particularly women and children. They are also undermining the efforts of humanitarian organizations working in the area, threatening to reduce their capacity to intervene in a region already marked by instability” explains Dr. Eugide Lalé Mbunda, Head of Mission for Première Urgence Internationale.
