Goma
As of late 2023 and early 2024, M23 has largely surrounded Goma, the capital of the North Kivu region located in the eastern regions.
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A city of two million people now under threat.
Attacks by M23, a Congolese rebel military group recently confirmed to be supported by Rwanda, have cut off the two roads leading out of Goma with their attacks on Saké (red circle) and other neighbouring areas, leading to the overcrowding and rapid expansion of IDP camps within the region.
Imagery from November 2023 shows distinct growing Internally Displaced People (IDP) Camps around the outskirts of the city.
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These are sights of violence as internal conflict grows and miltia groups approach.
In February 2024, the Ndosho hospital in Goma, in Eastern Congo, received six times more patients than usual, forcing it to double its capacity, but lacking the equipment and staff necessary to do so.
This crisis necessitated the transfer of patients across Lake Kivu to an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital in Bukavu. The Ndosho hospital is the only one in the Goma region capable of performing life-saving surgeries, hence the need for the relocation of patients to another ICRC hospital.
Forty percent of these patients were civilian victims of heavy artillery used in urban areas, including near camps for displaced people on the outskirts of Goma, marking a drastic difference from the previous majority of casualties falling on combatants in this region.
Growth of IDP Camps
As violence intensifies, people flee their homes seeking refuge. Many in the eastern regions head towards Goma, often ending up in Internally Dsiplaced Persons Camps (IDP). As we can see there has been a severe increase in the growth of these camps.
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These camps are also often sights of violence as seen in May 2024 where an IDP camp to the NE of Goma experienced bombings.
LaLa Camp
Plain Shabo Camp
Rhoo Camp
