By Bunmi Yekini
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people in and around Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are fleeing camps amid escalating violence, raising urgent concerns about their safety and access to basic necessities, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.
Following weeks of extreme violence and with M23/AFC forces taking control of parts of the region, MSF teams have observed a mass exodus from displacement camps, with many people heading toward their areas of origin, while others move into Goma or to remaining camps west of the city.
“This week, some camps have been largely emptied in just a few hours,” said Thierry Allafort-Duverger, head of MSF’s emergency programs in Goma. “People are leaving with what little they have. We don’t know in what conditions they will travel home or what they will find there. But it is crucial that these movements are voluntary and that the reception conditions in their areas of return are safe.”
While some displaced people are choosing to leave after years of struggling in dire conditions, others are reportedly responding to evacuation orders from M23 forces, though official messaging on the issue has been contradictory.
“The messages remain confused and unclear, but what is certain is that the population is very worried, oscillating between rumours and reality,” Allafort-Duverger added. “Families are extremely vulnerable. Humanitarian aid is more than necessary, both for those who are leaving and those who are staying.”
However, the situation on the ground is becoming increasingly desperate. MSF reports that some displaced individuals have begun dismantling humanitarian facilities, taking materials such as chairs, metal sheeting, tarpaulins, and ropes, evidence of the dire need for resources. In some cases, people have also worked to protect MSF structures from looting.
“This happened in several places where MSF was working, such as Lushagala, where an MSF clinic and a cholera treatment center disappeared in the space of a few hours on Monday,” said Allafort-Duverger.
MSF warns that those returning to their home areas will likely find little to no access to healthcare, as many health facilities have been looted or abandoned due to the prolonged conflict. Without intervention, returnees face an equally dire situation.
“For the past three years, living conditions in the camps around Goma have been desperate, even scandalous. But the situation in people’s places of return is likely to be equally disastrous if NGOs, UN agencies, and authorities fail to provide the minimum level of essential services,” the organization stated.
To address the crisis, MSF has deployed mobile clinics along key roads leading out of Goma and is conducting assessments in return areas. Meanwhile, MSF teams continue to provide medical care, malnutrition treatment, cholera response, and support for survivors of sexual violence in the camps that remain.
As the situation in and around Goma rapidly evolves, MSF is urging the international community to ensure the safe and voluntary movement of displaced people and to guarantee humanitarian organizations full access to affected areas.