Dozens of bodies have been left to rot in the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo following a controversial Donald Trump block on aid funding. Almost 3,000 people have died in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the last week and more than 2,000 bodies have been recovered from the streets of Goma, which is under the control of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. According to the United Nations, there are more than 900 bodies in city morgues.
Vivian van de Perre, U.N.’s deputy representative in Congo, said: “We expect this number to go up and there are still many decomposing bodies in certain areas.” It comes following a controversial decision by Trump to suspend the United States Agency for International Development, which means a lack of foreign assistance to help those in Congo. Van de Perre said many USAID partners providing assistance “need to stop their work because of the USAID stop-work order,” which "affects all of us greatly." According to the most recent USAID report, the US was Congo's biggest donor for humanitarian aid, providing more than $916million (£734m).
Van de Perre said all exit routes from Goma and its airport are under control of the M23 and Rwandan military forces backing them, and movements of the U.N. peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO in the city have been restricted. She said reopening the damaged Goma airport is critical for ongoing civilian and humanitarian use. The United Nations is also “gravely concerned” at losing Bukavu’s Kavumu airport, which is now used by Congo’s military, she said.
Goma remains “under occupation” by Congo’s M23 rebels and the ceasefire they announced has been broken as their forces engage in heavy fighting along the main route to South Kivu’s main city Bukavu, van de Perre added. M23 rebels are now approximately 31 miles north of Bukavu. The M23 rebels on Monday announced the ceasefire on humanitarian grounds after pleas for the safe passage of aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. But Congo’s government has described the ceasefire as “false communication,” and the United Nations has noted reports of heavy fighting with Congolese forces in the mineral-rich region.
Néné Bintou, president of the civil society of South Kivu province, said that the mining town of Nyabibwe was under the control of the M23. Nyabibwe is midway between Bukavu and Goma, the city the rebels seized last week and still control. “They have taken over Nyabibwe since this morning from 9 a.m.,” said Moïse Bisimwa, a resident reached by phone. “So we are here, we are worried about the situation. Apparently, the ceasefire that was declared by the M23 is just smoke and mirrors.”.
