In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, internally displaced people fleeing conflict in different parts of the country are confined in the Sam-Sam and Lushagala camps near Goma. Driven from their homes by the war, they have left everything behind. In the camps they live alongside government soldiers and fighters known as Wazalendo. Working in collaboration with other people, ATD Fourth World members in Goma set up a solidarity project to help the displaced people. The camp residents are suffering greatly and must fight for their survival every day. They are exposed to disease and hunger and they are calling upon the government and humanitarian organisations for help.

A solidarity project

In the Sam-Sam camp, the solidarity project is building public toilets. ATD Fourth World members worked with two local camp leaders, and young people from the camp came to help, demonstrating how important it is for them to take action. Their involvement also guarantees that the solidarity project will continue in one form or another into the future. A camp director who authorised the solidarity project’s work joined in to help with the construction. He said:

“One person alone must not do this work. If it’s for the benefit of all, then all must take part.”

An appeal

More than 10,100 people forced from their homes live in the Sam-Sam and Lushagala camps. There are several cases of infectious diseases among the men and women in the camps, not to mention malnutrition, which is particularly prevalent among the children under five years old. They live each day in fear of bombs and armed men, as one witness describes: “Since arriving at this camp, we are wakened every night by gunfire. I wish the government would make it possible for us to return home rather than staying in this camp where we are even more traumatised. The armed men do not tolerate any resistance. They take our money and anything else we have. The leader of the Mugunga district [of Goma] keeps telling his superiors about this situation, but nothing is done.”

The people fleeing conflict, who come to Goma in the hope of finding safety and a way to make a living, are forced to form resistance groups to withstand these attacks. Yet they still hope that the government will try to restore peace to their home regions. There, they do not go hungry and can focus on working the land, whereas in the camp, they have neither fields nor farming tools.

The inhabitants of Sam-Sam and Lushagala are asking humanitarian organisations for both material and financial help. They are also appealing to people of goodwill to advocate for:

• Support for children and young people in the camp;
• Apprenticeship programs;
• Firewood;
• Toilet construction (there are only ten toilet cubicles for every 40 to 45 households).

The people living in Sam-Sam and Lushagala have appealed to the government for support: “We are asking the government to help us separate the soldiers from the civilians. We urge the authorities to come here so we can show them all the emergency shelters for displaced persons that armed men has occupied.”

Given the destitution of the people in the camps — people of different backgrounds displaced from the eastern part of the country — the highest priority for the authorities ought to be restoring peace and security as quickly as possible, and ensuring that all the people in the camp and beyond can realise their full humanity.

• Everyone can take action, even with modest means, by calling for aid from organisations that, alongside ATD Fourth World, can offer better living conditions to people who have been displaced by war.

More on ATD Fourth World’s work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo