DR Congo: Displaced people and host communities struggle to obtain essentials in North Kivu

When the poor help the poor

The situation is similar in Rutshuru and Masisi territories to the south, two agricultural areas that feed the city of Goma. Fighting between the armed branch of the March 23 Movement (M23) and other armed groups displaced at least 78,000 people in June and July of 2023. In Nyabiondo alone, more than 7,800 people** have joined the 2,000 who arrived in February. The local community, themselves suffering from the fighting and a lack of resources, have been forced to share what little they have.

“I took in seven displaced families with no blood relation to me. When they first arrived, I gave them bananas to eat. But after three days, I had to tell them to fend for themselves,” said Kengo Lukoo Bandu, a farmer in his 40s and a father of nine in Nyabiondo.

“The economic situation has changed for our community. What little food we had is no longer enough. Prices have also gone up at the market. Before, my family would go through ten cups of rice a day. Now we only have half that.”