DR Congo – 6,625 Displaced Households From Kwamouth Registered In Kwilu Province

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s province of Kwilu has received a total of 6,625 households displaced from Kwamouth escaping from inter-communal violence in Mai-Ndombe province.

The true number of people displaced must be in the tens of thousands, as each household contains multiple people. 

The people are fleeing violence between the between the Tekes and Yaka communities, which broke out in August this year. 

According to Jeremie Bikele, Director of Cabinet to the Provincial Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and member of the National Humanitarian Commission, these internally displaced households are hosted in Bandundu town as well as in the villages of Fatundu, Misay rural council, Fasila, Fambondo, Fatobo and Kimbay in Bagata territory.

Mr Bikele said there are large numbers of displaced persons also in Masimanimba territory and in Kikwit town.

“We have regrouped them in terms of households and in groups of six persons based on the median size of a household representing a total of 6,625 households”, declared the Director of Cabinet, adding that cases of deaths have also been recorded and a total of 17 displaced persons have so far been recorded dead.

“These cases of deaths are due to diverse pathologies. There have also been problems of taking charge of some who could not get to health facilities so that they could be taken charge of”, Jeremie Bikele revealed.

Kwilu province, besides losses in human lives following the atrocities in Kwamouth, has been suffering from several consequences arising from the violence notably in the economic sector.

There has been a marked increase in the prices of agricultural products in the market following the paralysis of farm activities in Kwamouth territory which was the epicentre of the Teke and Yaka communal violence.