Condition: Critical

Hundreds of thousands of people are on the run, fleeing a war raging in eastern Congo in the provinces of North and South Kivu, and in the northern Oriental province. In both areas the civilian populations have become the victims of an escalating conflict.

People are frightened. Many are sick or wounded. Others have been harassed or raped, or have had everything they own stolen. For more than a decade, several armed groups and the army have been fighting each other. The conflicts in Ituri and Haut Uélé, both in the Oriental province, are less known to the outside world, as the situation is not yet as critical as in the Kivus. But at the same time the violence has made it impossible for people to lead normal lives. Life isn’t just hard in eastern Congo: this region is in critical condition. And things aren’t getting any better. The destiny of everyone in this region is shaped by war and violence. The story of their struggle to survive needs to be told.

Condition: Critical will be regularly updated by Medecens Sans Frontieres over the coming year with new eyewitness accounts, photos and video from the people living through the crisis in eastern Congo.