A truce in Congo ends in a week. Aid groups say it could be a lost opportunity to help civilians

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A two-week truce in eastern Congo has heavily reduced fighting, but with a week left aid workers and local civil society groups say not much help has reached millions of people who are trapped in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The two-week humanitarian cease-fire was announced by the U.S. a week ago, bringing a pause to clashes between Congolese forces and rebels allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda in the mineral-rich region. Fighting has intensified this year, especially in the North Kivu province where hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

The two-week period is not enough, and even during the truce there have been reports of continuing violence in Masisi territory near Goma, the capital of North Kivu, said Abdoulaye Barry, head of the sub-office of the U.N. refugee agency in the region.

“Even in accessible areas, the displaced suffer because resources are limited," said Barry, adding that the agency has yet to deploy additional resources.

In the Bulengo displaced persons camp, one of the region's largest, news of the truce brought joy that quickly faded when aid failed to arrive, said Faustin Mahoro, a refugee and head of the camp.

“We continue to suffer from the lack of humanitarian support,” said the 45-year-old father of eight. “We don't see the benefit of a humanitarian truce if humanitarian aid does not reach us.”

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, replied when asked why aid isn't being delivered to eastern Congo: “This truce was an extraordinary effort, and I think it was an extraordinary step forward to get this cease-fire.”

“ It is still ongoing, and we will continue to push for the cease-fire to last longer, so that we can get humanitarian assistance in,” she told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. “The situation is still evolving, but we have not given up on getting the assistance directly to people, but in the meantime, we will be pushing for extending the truce.”

Far from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, eastern Congo has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups that have carried out mass killings as they seek a share of the region’s gold and other resources. The most active is the March 23 Movement, or M23, which once occupied Goma and now controls about half of North Kivu province, according to Richard Moncrieff, the Crisis Group’s Great Lakes region director.

Violence has spread across other parts of the country and has displaced more than 7 million people, most of them in the east.

At least 416 violent attacks have targeted civilians across the country this year, resulting in 1,467 deaths. Nearly half the deaths were in the North Kivu province, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, known as ACLED.

The French medical organization Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said the cease-fire would help it work “more calmly and deliver medications” in several affected communities where it already operates. “The absence of artillery between the two parties enables us to work more safely in the sites where we offer free care,” said Camille Niel, MSF’s emergency coordinator.

The U.N. children’s agency last month reported a 30% increase in grave violations against children in eastern Congo during the first three months of this year, compared to the last quarter of 2023.

Even though fighting has reduced on the frontlines, the villages of Nyange and Bibwa in Masisi territory experienced violent clashes on Wednesday between M23 rebels and some “youth resistance fighters,” who often work with security forces, said Kambere Bonane, a civil society leader in the region.

“We commend international diplomacy, but we urge the international community to move beyond theory and consider practical solutions for lasting peace,” Bonane added.

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Associated Press journalist Chinedu Asadu contributed from Abuja, Nigeria.