In Goma, a plane loaded with 35 tonnes of humanitarian aid landed on Friday March 17 from Denmark. After a first, which arrived on March 10, this is the second shipment from the European Union to respond to the humanitarian emergency caused by the conflicts in eastern DRC, particularly in the province of North Kivu, torn apart by the fighting and which displaced more than 800,000 people.
With our special correspondent in Goma, Paulina Zidi
A short hour late and the 35 tons humanitarian aid arrived in Goma. At the bottom of the plane, the various NGOs and humanitarian agencies were there to begin unloading. “ We should have four to six hours “, explain the members of the crew. It must be said that the jumbo Boeing 647 was particularly full, in particular with medical equipment, to fight against malnutrition or even what to set up shelters.
On the tarmac, the humanitarians present are delighted with this airlift to serve Goma, a city where supplies are complicated. Several roads are cut and a large part of the freight must pass through Rwanda.
“ If we had to make it all come by boatexplains the UNICEF logistician, we could have waited several months for some of the products that we were able to board on this plane. UNICEF had already received nearly 15 tons of material in the first rotation last week.
Immediate needs in the face of climate and constant arrivals
This aid responds to immediate needs. A UNHCR official also present on the tarmac this morning told me that he had to recover several tons of blankets. “ This speed is essential when we are full in a humanitarian crisishe explains. We will be able to quickly distribute these blankets in displacement camps. »
Because in Goma, the temperatures are cool and the weather is capricious: it is in the rain that this unloading is done.
In addition, the camps register new arrivals every day, families fleeing the combat zones in North Kivu. According to humanitarian agencies, there have been more than 800 000 displaced in the province for a year and nearly 300 000 are currently refugees in the Goma area.
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