At least 150 children have been separated from their families, and 170 may have disappeared while fleeing thousands in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo following the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, the United Nations reported today.
These numbers were announced by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a statement released today on its website.
More than 5,000 people have crossed the border between the city of Goma, about 20 kilometers from the volcano, according to the UN agency. According to the same source, at least 25,000 people were displaced in the city of Sake, about 25 km from Goma, the capital of the North Kivu region.
UNICEF was concerned that hundreds of people are now returning to their homes to find “damaged homes and shortages of water and electricity.”
“It is not yet clear how many aggregates were affected by the eruption in Nyiragongo, north of Goma. Many children around the airport in Goma were left homeless and homeless, ”added UNICEF.
The United Nations agency announced that it has dispatched a team to the affected areas of Sake, Buhene, Kibati and Kibumba to provide first-class assistance.
One of the initiatives foreseen by UNICEF is aimed at the installation of water decontamination points near Sake to limit the spread of cholera, as well as to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance of the disease.
Likewise, the United Nations agency wants, in cooperation with the Congolese authorities, to establish two transit centers for unaccompanied and separated children.
UNICEF also says it is working with partners to identify cases of abuse and gender-based violence in order to provide medical and psychosocial support.
The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on Saturday night caused the skies over the city of Goma to come true, spreading panic and causing thousands to flee.
One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Nyiragongo volcano erupted at about 7:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. Lisbon) on Saturday, according to figures provided by the government that day.
As a result of the eruption, thousands of frightened people left the city overnight, carrying things and livestock, and headed to the city of Sake or the border with Rwanda, which, according to official figures, was crossed by at least 8,000 people. Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Already today, fleeing residents were gradually returning to their neighborhoods, some of which were “devastated” because their homes and other property were burned, according to a resident quoted by the EFE news agency.
Although the lava never reached the city, hundreds of houses on its periphery were destroyed or turned to ash, according to provincial authorities.
Located in North Kivu province, which also borders Uganda, the Goma region is an area of intense volcanic activity located in the Rift Valley, with six volcanoes, including neighboring Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira, with a total area of 3,470 and 3,058 meters, respectively.
The last eruption of Nyiragongo in 2002 forced thousands of people to flee their homes and claimed the lives of hundreds.
Goma is home to a large contingent of peacekeepers and many members of the United Nations mission in DR Congo, as well as a base for many non-governmental organizations and other international organizations.