Democratic Republic of the Congo - An IOM assessment of  displacement sites around the city of Goma in North Kivu, Eastern DRC has shown a total of 16,406 internally displaced people (IDPs), well down from  previous estimates of over 100,000 (104, 813).

The verification exercise, conducted over the past year, is designed to allow IOM and its partners to better assess the needs of displaced families and to identify durable solutions for them.

The exercise was conducted in the sites at night, with IOM staff going from hut to hut counting and registering households.

This minimized the risk of over-counting by effectively excluding people from nearby towns and villages who may have come to the sites in the hope of getting aid destined for genuine IDPs.    

IOM, in collaboration with the UNHCR, manages the Displacement Site Working Group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It also ensures effective management and coordination of the humanitarian response in 29 displacement sites in Eastern DRC and works to develop strategies for identifying and implementing durable solutions for the IDPs.

For more information, please contact

Flora Camain

IOM North Kivu

Tel: +2438 1512 4095

Email: fcamain@iom.int