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Transcript/ScriptDRC CONFLICT DISPLACED AID (TV)
HEADLINE: Displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo Plead for Aid
TEASER: UN refugee agency says clashes this year between the country's army and the M23 rebel group have uprooted over 160,000
PUBLISHED AT: 7/28/22, 5:10p
BYLINE: Ruth Omar Esther
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Nyiragongo Territory, DRC
VIDEOGRAPHER: Esdras Tsongo
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Reuters, AP, AFP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 2:13
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[The United Nations refugee agency says clashes this year between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and the rebel group M23 have displaced more than 160,000 people. Ruth Omar visited makeshift camps for the displaced in Nyiragongo Territory, north of the DRC's eastern city of Goma, and has this report. ]]
((NARRATOR))
20-year-old Rebecca Nyirarukundo fled clashes in June between the Congolese army and the rebels around Rutshuru territory with her husband and one-year-old son.
They found shelter at this school-turned-camp for the displaced in Nyiragongo Territory, along with hundreds of others.
((Rebecca Nyirarukundo, Displaced (Kiswahili, 12 secs))
“We arrived here on foot, because we had no transportation, but had no food. I went five days without cooking, and my child became weak. I took him to the health center, but nothing worked.”
((NARRATOR))
Her son was malnourished, got sick, and on July 17, he died.
In the town of Kanyaruchinya, those newly displaced keep arriving, stretching the few resources available.
(((Theo Musekura, IDP Leader in Kanyaruchinya, (Kiswahili, ?? secss))
“Since we have been here, we have had no assistance. I have already buried four people because of the lack of water, food, and shelter. We are suffering a lot.”
((NARRATOR))
The U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR, says clashes since March between the Congolese national army and the rebel March 23 Movement have forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes.
((NARRATOR))
The UNHCR says it has received less than one-fifth of a $225 million budget request for the DRC that was based on needs before the fighting broke out.
((NARRATOR))
Medical aid is also stretched in Kanyaruchinya as the town has only one mobile hospital.
((Mambo Kawaya, Nyiragongo Civil Society, (French, ?? secs))
“The hospital was installed in 2021 under the leadership of the president. But there has been no improvement in terms of equipment and logistics. The government has been giving almost nothing lately and the crisis has caused problems with health care.”
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, protests this week against the U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo turned violent and left at least 15 people dead.
The demonstrators accused the peacekeeping force of failing to stabilize the region and keep them safe.
Whether or not one blames the peacekeepers for the situation, it’s clear that safety in the towns near Goma is a scarce commodity.
((Ruth Omar Esther, for VOA News,
Nyiragongo Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Nyiragongo Territory, DRC
Embargo DateJuly 28, 2022 17:54 EDT
BylineRuth Omar Esther, for VOA News,
Nyiragongo Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
