Insecurity but also administrative constraints are hampering humanitarian access in the troubled regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, deplores the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office (OCHA) in a study released on Tuesday.
The DRC is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis, with more than 5 million displaced people across the country, including hundreds of thousands driven from their homes for a year in North Kivu (east) in the grip of the resurgence of the rebellion of M23.
Slow humanitarian aid
Faced with the emergency, the European Union in particular launched a "
humanitarian air bridge
" at the beginning of March towards Goma, the provincial capital, where two planes loaded with around 35 tonnes of aid have so far arrived, on the 10th and then the 17th of March.
But in mid-March, Médecins sans Frontières deplored that "
residents and displaced people in remote areas
" remain "
left to their own devices and receive no aid
", despite "
available funding and the presence of a large number of organizations in Goma
".
The NGO said it observed "
a slowness that is difficult to explain in the humanitarian response, marked by a lack of coordination
".
"
In the DRC, humanitarian access is a major challenge in (...) assistance to populations in need
", notes OCHA-DRC in an "
analysis of the severity of humanitarian access constraints
" accompanying a summary of its "
highlights
" for February.
Read alsoRebellion of the M23 in the DRC: thousands of people "caught in a vice"
The eastern provinces, plagued for nearly 30 years by violence from multiple armed groups, are particularly concerned.
“
Obstacles
”, according to OCHA, “
include, among others, insecurity, bureaucratic constraints, movement restrictions
” (illegal barriers, popular demonstrations, etc).
In terms of "
administrative constraints
", OCHA's monthly document notes that at the end of February, "
31 international NGOs and many national NGOs were still awaiting their framework agreements or interministerial orders
", which are "
crucial documents
" for operate in the DRC.
Regarding North Kivu, the UN humanitarian coordination office deplores, in addition to armed clashes, “
acts of violence against humanitarian personnel, their property and their means of transport
”.
In addition to the general poor state of the roads, he recalls in particular that a helicopter came under fire on February 24, which led to the suspension of humanitarian flights in certain regions of the east of the country.
The situation "
worries all humanitarian actors
" but, "
despite everything, we are working to reach people in need and come to the aid of the victims
", also assures an OCHA official.