Victims of the Mount Nyiragongo volcanic eruption in the Kayembe site, North Kivu Province are still living in appalling conditions. In May more than 30 people died following the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.
Over 500,000 people from the areas of Goma, Sake, Minova, Kiwanja in Rutshuru, Bukavu as well as Rwanda were displaced.
According to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) working group and INTERSOS -a Non-Governmental Organization that assists populations affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, 7,891 people are still displaced in Masisi and Rutshuru territories. They are being accommodated in host families who have extremely limited resources.
In Nyiragongo Territory, 31,904 displaced people are still staying in five sites of Kayembe, Kanyanja, Bujari, Mujoga, and Kanyaruchinya. However, families living on the Kayembe site say that the living conditions are deplorable.
One of the victims who preferred anonymity says that the site has had no water and drugs for close to three months. She says that due to congestion and poor living conditions, women have started contracting infections and there is no food.
She also reveals that they now buy water at 200 Congolese Francs (equivalent to USD 0.1) per 20-liter jerry can.
Bonheur Mayele, Secretary Kayembe site says that the area accommodates 980 families.
Mayele says that the site is no longer supplied with drinking water, although it accommodates many people. He says that the appalling conditions could give rise to disease outbreaks. Mayele says that women have resorted to going to nearby churches to beg for food while others traverse nearby villages looking for jobs for survival.
“We suffer a lot, especially us women and children. It’s been two months since we have run out of drinking water. Women are already getting infections and we have no medicine,”
the victim narrated.
“Currently we have 980 families. There is no food. There are women who are looking for jobs, who are going to cultivate. They beg from churches. There are children who have accidents because they go to fetch water elsewhere,”
says Mayele.
Déogratias Pade, the coordinator of the response to the general secretariat for humanitarian actions, calls for patience saying that a ruling on the portion of space to permanently accommodate the victims has already been signed and preparatory work for development and urbanization are underway.
He also says that more than four thousand households had been officially registered after the identification exercise. The government has succeeded in relocating more than half to the temporary sites.
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