UNICEF Raises Alarm Over Escalating Violence in Eastern DR Congo as Hundreds of Thousands, Including Children, Flee.
Kinshasa/Bujumbura/New York:
UNICEF has sounded the alarm over a sharp escalation of violence in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that children are bearing the brunt of renewed hostilities that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
In a statement issued on Friday, UNICEF said that intense fighting since 1 December has displaced more than 500,000 people in South Kivu alone, including over 100,000 children. Many families have fled under fire, seeking safety within the DRC or across borders into neighboring Burundi and Rwanda. Humanitarian agencies fear the number of displaced people will continue to rise as violence spreads.
“UNICEF is deeply alarmed by the rapid escalation of hostilities in South Kivu,” the agency said, calling on all parties to the conflict to protect children and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
According to UNICEF, hundreds of people have been killed since 2 December, and grave violations against children have already been reported. These include the killing of four students, injuries to six others, and attacks on at least seven schools, leaving classrooms damaged or destroyed.
As families flee the fighting, children face heightened protection risks, including family separation, exposure to violence, exploitation, gender-based violence, and severe psychosocial distress. UNICEF warned that unaccompanied and separated children are particularly vulnerable amid the chaos.
The crisis has also spilled across borders. In Burundi, authorities have reported more than 50,000 new arrivals between 6 and 11 December alone, nearly half of them children. UNICEF said the true number of displaced people is likely to be significantly higher as identification and registration efforts continue. Many of those arriving are injured, while others are women and children at heightened risk and in urgent need of protection and assistance.
UNICEF said it is working closely with national authorities and humanitarian partners in both the DRC and Burundi to mobilize an urgent, child-focused response. The agency is also coordinating with other UN bodies to carry out rapid assessments and scale up life-saving assistance as soon as security conditions allow.
“Children must never pay the price of conflict,” UNICEF said, reaffirming its commitment to support every child affected by the escalating crisis in eastern DRC.
