A surge in violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has forced more than 8,000 people to flee to neighbouring Burundi and Tanzania, the United Nations refugee agency has said.
UNHCR on Tuesday said that in the past week alone, more than 7,000 people fled into Burundi with an additional 1,200 going into Tanzania.
It also said that many others are displaced inside South Kivu in difficult conditions without shelter or food.
The agency added that some of the refugees said they fled forced recruitment, direct violence and other abuses by armed groups. Others say they fled in anticipation of military operations and out of fear.
Earlier this month, the U.N. said 4.1 million Congolese nationals have been displaced by the violence, with 620,000 seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
The DR Congo violence heightened in November 2016 following President Kabila’s refusal to not only step down at the end of his term but to conduct presidential elections as well. The country’s electoral body said it could not conduct the vote due to logistical challenges.
Opposition groups accused Kabila of frustrating plans to conduct the vote as a way of clinging on to power.
The electoral body mid-last year said it had started registering voters, but that the election could not be held earlier than middle of 2018.
On her visit to Africa in October, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said the DR Congo must hold elections before the end of 2018. Ambassador Haley says the U.S. would cease to “support anything in 2019.”
“Every day we don’t have elections in this country someone dies,” Haley said.
Last week, President Kabila in his first press briefing in six years said the election would be conducted within the agreed timeline.
