UN expands relief focus after new volcano evacuation order in DRC

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 — Aid workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have expanded relief efforts to people fleeing Goma in fear of another volcano eruption.
The humanitarian focus has been on people directly affected by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo. But with the new mass displacement of people following the new evacuation order, the focus is widening, and new assessments will take place in areas where people have moved to, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday.
Thousands of people are displaced and on the move following a state evacuation order of 10 districts in Goma, North Kivu, amid fears of a new eruption. About 400,000 people are potentially affected by the evacuation order, said OCHA.
Water and sanitation and disease outbreak prevention are among the priorities, it said.
People are heading toward Sake, west of Goma, Rubavu in Rwanda to the east, Rutshuru in the north, and crossing Lake Kivu for Bukavu in South Kivu, it said.
The nearby town of Sake, 25 km northwest of Goma, is an area prone to cholera outbreaks where at least 19 suspected cases have been recorded in the last two weeks, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
It warned that the chaos of the latest exodus will result in more children being separated from their families. The agency anticipates up to 280,000 children face displacement in the new evacuation.
Nearly 1,000 children who were separated from their parents amid the chaos following the first day of the destruction have now been identified, with UNICEF helping to reunite nearly 700 children with their families.
An additional 142 children have been placed in transitional foster families, while 78 are in transit accommodation centers. Tragically more than 170 families are still looking for lost children, said UNICEF.
By Thursday, strong tremors continued, one measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale. The Goma Volcanological Observatory said there is a real risk of a new eruption. There are fears lava could escape from the many cracks caused by tremors following the first eruption.
More than 30 people have lost their lives since the first eruption on Saturday. Lava, ash and gas destroyed houses, schools and health structures, affected water and electricity supply systems, and cut off roads. (Xinhua)