- WHO has warned that the conflict could wipe out any gains made in recent months in the fight against mpox.
- Across Africa, the DRC has evolved as the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak recording 516 cases in the last week, along with 38 deaths.
- The humanitarian situation in the DRC is affecting not only mpox (response efforts) but also a number of other outbreaks, says Africa CDC.
As the M23 rebels advance on their onslaught across different areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the World Health Organization has warned that the conflict could wipe out any gains made in recent months in the fight against mpox.
Across Africa, the DRC has evolved as the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak recording 516 cases in the last week, along with 38 deaths.
Last week, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya told an online media briefing that “The humanitarian situation in the DRC is affecting not only mpox (response efforts) but also a number of other outbreaks… Health infrastructure has been broken, and access to basic services like water and sanitation doesn’t really exist.”
The city of Goma in the eastern part of DRC erupted in chaos in January, as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized large swathes of land across North Kivu, even as they made advance towards South Kivu, targting the provincial capital Bukavu.
Before the latest wave of conflict between the armed forces of DRC and armed groups, measures to control mpox cases had been stabilizing in the country.
However, in the last one month, the WHO said that healthcare facilities in the eastern part of the country are struggling to cope with a surge in casualties, alongside patients suffering from multiple endemic diseases, including mpox, cholera, malaria and measles.
WHO officials on the ground reported that shells hit a hospital in Goma, resulting in civilian casualties, including infants and pregnant women. Stocks of essential medicines in Minova (South Kivu) are rapidly depleting, as M23 rebels advance towards the city.
The agency said health partners are doing “everything possible” to provide lifesaving services “despite the risks posed by heavy artillery and the proximity of frontline fighting.”
Concerns over attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and other human rights violations have also reached alarming levels.
IDPs at risk
According to the WHO, the ongoing war threatens to put thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in Goma, along with the aid workers supporting them. “Thousands of displaced people sheltering close to Goma have had to flee for safety as heavy bombing and shelling struck close to the camps due to the proximity of military installations,” the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported.
The UN health agency said a significant number of displaced families are now staying with host communities, while others are setting up temporary shelters in schools and public buildings. Host communities themselves could face “significant humanitarian needs”.
Infrastructure hit, hampering efforts to fight mpox
Additionally, the war has left essential infrastructure, including water, electricity, and communication networks severely damaged. For instance, in Goma, which is a city of over a million people, water and electricity has been cut off and people are now using unsafe water, leaving them at higher risk of disease outbreaks. Increasingly, access to reliable telecommunications (phones) and Internet access is also disrupted.
Public and private property – including WFP and non-governmental organization-run warehouses – have been looted. “Coupled with severed access to the city, food and other essential supplies are almost depleted,” WFP said, adding that scarcity has driven prices up, making it even harder for vulnerable communities to afford basic necessities.
Hard-won development gains at risk
In addition to threatening the safety and wellbeing of millions, the fighting has put years of hard-won development gains by global agencies at risk of damage and collapse.
According to administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner DRC is not just a humanitarian emergency but a development crisis that is increasingly jeopardizing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Every day the conflict continues, access to education and healthcare is disrupted, businesses collapse, and vital infrastructure is damaged – deepening hardship for communities and eroding the foundation for long-term recovery, resilience and sustainable development,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“I call on all actors to prioritize dialogue, uphold international humanitarian law, and pursue a peaceful resolution to this crisis,” he added.
Read also: M23 rebels: We will march all the way to Kinshasa
