“Near the frontlines, sexual violence and human rights abuses remain rampant, as is the looting and destruction of civilian homes and businesses,” said Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection.

Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Eba told journalists that that North and South Kivu provinces remain unstable, with “hundreds of thousands of people on the move”.

Close to 80,000 people have fled armed clashes between Congolese Government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels into neighbouring countries and some 61,000 have arrived in Burundi since January, Mr. Eba stressed.

60 rape victims a day

A staggering 895 cases of rape were reported to humanitarian actors in the last two weeks of February alone, the UN refugee agency official continued – an average of more than 60 a day.

The UNHCR official highlighted other risks faced by civilians, including the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war to children and farmers trying to tend their fields. On Monday, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) reported that armed men had raided at least two hospitals in North Kivu’s capital Goma, abducting dozens of patients.

The fighting has also impeded humanitarian access to people on the move. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has had to pause its aid operations in conflict-affected areas but was resuming emergency food assistance “in some parts of North Kivu” according to a post on social media platform X on Tuesday morning, aiming to reach over 210,000 people.

M23 forced evictions

Inside North and South Kivu, “significant” population movements have continued, in line with reported M23 orders issued to internally displaced people (IDPs) to leave the camps around Goma, UNHCR’s Mr. Eba said.

“Today, only around 17,000 people are left residing in IDP sites, schools and churches around Goma, while an estimated 414,000 of their neighbours have been on the move for the past four weeks, encouraged by the de facto authorities to return to their villages of origin,” he explained.

Given the widespread insecurity in eastern DRC, “many more” people may need to cross borders in search of safety, Mr. Eba warned.

UNHCR’s position regarding returns to the area is that “Congolese nationals fleeing the conflict, as well as those who are outside the country, who originate from the areas affected by the conflict, may need refugee protection under international and regional legal frameworks,” he said.

The UNHCR official emphasized the importance of “informed decision-making” for any voluntary returns to conflict-affected areas.

Exempt from funding freeze

Asked about the impact of the United States’ humanitarian funding freeze on operations in the country, UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun confirmed that the agency had received a waiver lifting the 90-day suspension for “a few emergency countries, including DRC”.

Assistance for the current crisis that was spawned by a decades-long conflict in the mineral-rich region had “always been underfunded”, she said, expressing hope that UNHCR will be able to “continue to support this emergency”.

There are over one million Congolese refugees across Africa, mainly in neighbouring countries. Uganda hosts more than half of that total, while Burundi has seen most new arrivals since January’s flash M23 offensive. Prior to the current crisis, some 6.7 million people were internally displaced within the DRC.

A young mother, five children in tow, steps off a train in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, holding a small bag. She is fleeing Russian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region, she is also escaping a violent partner, a man who once beat her so severely she suffered a miscarriage.

She needs urgent medical attention, legal assistance and a safe place for her children. “We met her at the train station,” says Tetiana, a psychologist with a mobile team since 2022. “We also organized a medical escort and lawyers to help with her documents and referrals.”

Trauma, distress and surging domestic abuse

Tetiana’s unit is one of 87 UNFPA psychosocial support teams, on call for emergency interventions. She can also refer survivors for longer-term assistance, job training and access to legal aid. These resources remain critical for survivors of abuse long after the initial danger has passed – especially in a country where three years of war have caused widespread trauma and deep psychological distress.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago, reports of intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence have surged more than threefold in Ukraine. An estimated 2.4 million people – mostly women and girls – are in urgent need of gender-based violence prevention and response services. “Even after finding some physical safety in Dnipro, many struggle with lingering panic attacks, nightmares and depressive symptoms,” says Tetiana.

Almost two thirds of households in Ukraine report dealing with some form of anxiety, depression or extreme stress, thwarting people’s ability to find work or care for family members. Financial hardship, mass job losses, deaths of loved ones and fears of future attacks are only intensifying their distress. Without proper counselling and care, the cycle of trauma can also be passed down to future generations, risking long-term and wider-spread harm to the community

Surviving is just the beginning

Roman joined the team in Dnipro as a social worker in April 2022, arranging coordination with social services and public organizations. “We have built a response system for people’s safety and support,” he said, explaining that they are often the first to respond to cases of gender-based violence, after the police. “We are an ambulance of sorts for gender-based violence incidents.”

These services are vital, especially for women without stable income or housing, as the war has put many at risk of economic exploitation or renewed violence.

“Many people think surviving the initial threat is the end of the story,” added Tetiana. “But the real healing only starts once they are physically safe. Without psychosocial support, it’s difficult for them to recover from trauma or prevent further harm.”

Tetiana has worked as a psychologist with UNFPA’s mobile psychosocial support team in Dnipro since early 2022.

In crisis settings, the risk of violence against women and girls escalates – including conflict-related sexual violence – and the demand for protection and response services spikes. Yet, as displaced women often lack social networks to turn to and are stigmatized if they report abuse, the police can request the mobile team’s support on-site to coordinate further interventions, such as safe housing or counselling.

Health workers under fire

It’s a situation fraught with danger, and response workers themselves can come under fire. “When we arrive at the sites of attacks or in cases of violence. We don’t have time to slow down,” explained Roman. “We switch on immediately and start providing services. It’s like our own reactions are on hold. Only later, when we look back and discuss it, do we realize how difficult it actually was.”

Since February 2022, the World Health Organization has confirmed over 2,200 attacks on healthcare facilities, services and personnel in Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Last year, over 300 of these affected medical facilities – a threefold increase on 2023.

While his work is critical, Roman said it takes a toll. “With each shelling, it builds up – one after the other. Depending on the severity of the damage, you feel it differently each time. But for the most part, we stay focused on what must be done, putting our feelings aside on the spot. Then, once the immediate crisis is handled, we turn to our own support networks and process it all.”

Why these services must endure

Since 2022, more than 50 of UNFPA’s mobile psychosocial teams have been funded by the US Government, and play an indispensable role in helping Ukraine’s most vulnerable. “The city services function, but they lack the same impact and reach. That’s why the mobile teams are essential, especially in times of war, as we navigate the wave of displaced people,” said Tetiana.

Women are fundamental to the resilience of Ukraine’s families, workforce and larger community, but they have endured immense suffering over years of conflict. Ensuring they are supported throughout their personal recovery will be crucial to safeguarding Ukraine’s long-term recovery.

With uncertainty now surrounding funding for humanitarian work around the world, the continuity of this vital work is under threat. 640,000 women and girls will be affected by cuts to psychosocial support, gender-based violence services, safe spaces, and economic empowerment programs. Protection for refugees and crisis-affected communities will be diminished.

Essential health services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, support to women-led organizations, and programmes promoting women’s economic empowerment are all at risk of closure – gravely endangering the safety and well-being of millions of people.

Armed groups now control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, including key roads leading in and out of the city, making it nearly impossible for people to find safety.

For the past 14 years, Rose, a humanitarian worker with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has been on the ground, helping the most vulnerable and has witnessed the toll of the crisis firsthand.

“Whenever I think back to a workday in the field, the first image that comes to mind is the suffering of families, the degree of vulnerability of these disadvantaged people living in inhumane conditions.

It breaks my heart to see children, infants, mothers and elderly fathers arriving at displacement sites after fleeing different places due to gang conflicts. Their struggle to feed their families and the precarious conditions in which they sleep deeply affect me.

What pains me most as a humanitarian worker is sometimes realising that we are unable to fully meet the needs of these vulnerable people who rely entirely on humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, funding and resources are limited.

As a humanitarian worker I’m looking for a balance between the amount I invest emotionally in my work and the need to step back to protect my mental health.

I take care of myself by engaging in activities like music, sports, meditation, or any other pastime that relaxes me.

One smile at a time

Since my teenage years, I have always had a passion for working in the humanitarian field.

A displaced mother tends for her baby in a former school in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

IOM has helped many displaced children and youth gain access to education, giving them learning opportunities and supporting their personal development.

I firmly believe in the possibility of positive change, even in the most desperate situations.

Every small improvement in people’s situation, every smile I see reinforces my conviction that what I do is meaningful.

For example, many people have been able to access safe and secure housing through IOM’s assistance, improving their living conditions and providing a more stable environment for their families.

I met a mother who told me that leaving the displacement site brought her immense joy.

For her, it was not just about having a roof over her head – it was about reclaiming her dignity.

Cité Soleil in downtown Port-au-Prince is one of the most dangerous places in the Haitian capital.

Raising her children, especially her young daughters, who had almost no privacy when they were sleeping and showering had been her biggest daily struggle.

Her story deeply moved me and reinforced my commitment to working tirelessly to support these families who are in such great need of our assistance.

‘Listen to the voices of the forgotten’

Haiti, this land of resilience and courage, is today facing overwhelming challenges and unimaginable suffering. Our children cry, families struggle and I see the broken hearts of people who face the indifference of the world around them.

I implore you, the world, to open your eyes to Haiti’s reality. Look beyond the numbers and statistics. Listen to the voices of the forgotten, crying out in the silence of distress. Haiti needs your solidarity, your compassion.

Together, let us make the echo of hope resonate across Haiti’s valleys and mountains.”

The intense conflict at the end of January, which saw the city overrun by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, left many of the city’s two million residents without access to clean water, sanitation or power. A third of them have only recently been displaced.

The humanitarian crisis sparked by the fighting between Congolese Government forces, M23 and other armed factions – who have fuelled instability in the restive east for decades – has raised two pressing needs, says UNICEF.

Hundreds of thousands of people are now moving from previous displacement sites around Goma to areas of return with only limited water and sanitation services.

“Clean water is a lifeline. With ongoing cholera and mpox epidemics in eastern DRC, children and families need safe water now more than ever to protect themselves and prevent a deeper health crisis,” said Jean Francois Basse, UNICEF‘s acting Representative in DRC.

Deadlier risk than violence

“Around the world, children in protracted conflicts are three times more likely to die from water-related diseases than violence. Re-establishing essential services needs to be prioritised, or we risk even more lives.”

Despite the deteriorating security situation, UNICEF responded immediately by trucking water to three health facilities, including the Virunga General Referral Hospital, which treated around 3,000 injured patients.

Medical kits to treat 50,000 people were also distributed to health centres overwhelmed with patients.

Around 700,000 people now have daily access to water through the REGIDESO water utility company after UNICEF and the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, provided 77,000 litres of fuel, enabling the five main pumping stations to restart after they had shut down due to powerline cuts.

On the east side of Goma, an additional 33,000 people are receiving water through a UNICEF-constructed water network in the Bushara-Kayarutshiyna area.

Cholera cases tick up

However, many still rely on untreated supplies directly from Lake Kivu. UNICEF and partners have set up more than 50 chlorine sites along the coast to treat lake water, supplying 56,000 people daily in a bid to limit the spread of cholera.

“We are already seeing worrying signs of a rise in cholera cases, closely tied to increased displacement and people relying on unclean water. While gathering data is difficult in these challenging circumstances, with the main rainy season approaching, we’re extremely worried about an explosion in cases,” said Mr. Basse.

Over the last decade, cholera has killed over 5,500 people in the DRC, where only 43 per cent of the population has access to at least a basic water service, and only 15 per cent has access to basic sanitation.

In Goma, the conflict has made a dire situation worse. Even before the current escalation, approximately 700,000 displaced people lived in camps with dangerously inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene, exposing children to diseases and increasing risks of gender-based violence for women and girls collecting water and firewood.

In line with the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure, UNICEF is calling on all parties to the conflict to safeguard water supplies.