Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, expressed deep concern over the devastating impact on children and families.
A tent serves as a reception area for displaced families at a hospital near Goma, North Kivu.
Toll on pregnant women
The violence is also exacting a terrible toll on pregnant women, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times, seeking refuge in overcrowded displacement camps with little access to medical care, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned.
Some women are going into labour while fleeing bombardments or forced to deliver babies in makeshift shelters without medical care.
Even before the current crisis, maternal health care in DRC was severely limited, with the country already among those with the highest maternal mortality rates globally.
Now, only a third of hospitals and one in five health centres remain functional, leaving UNFPA’s mobile clinics as the only lifeline for many expectant mothers, the UN agency said.
Critical care at risk
Of the estimated 220,000 pregnant women in North and South Kivu, over 12,000 are currently displaced with no assured medical care. More than 88,000 women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, while unintended pregnancies are expected to rise due to the collapse of health services.
UNFPA is operating eight mobile health clinics in the region, staffed by 27 midwives providing critical maternal and reproductive health services. Despite the challenges, these teams are ensuring safe deliveries, prenatal care, and family planning support for over 8,000 people.
“UNFPA remains in North Kivu, working alongside the government and humanitarian partners to ensure women and girls receive life-saving care, but the needs are growing faster than resources can keep up,” the agency said.
“There are thousands of other women bracing for childbirth in tents, under bombardment, unsure if they or their babies will survive the night.”