Displaced Families Spend New Year in Fear and Hunger in Ituri’s Savo Plain

Djugu Territory, Ituri | January 1, 2026 - More than a thousand residents from Bulé and neighboring villages in the Djugu territory of Ituri Province spent New Year’s Day in dire conditions after fleeing renewed clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and militias of the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP) led by Thomas Lubanga. The displaced families have sought refuge in the Savo Plain, located about four kilometers north of Bulé, where they are living in extreme precarity. According to local sources, the most recent group of displaced persons arrived on Wednesday, following intensified fighting in the area. “For more than a week now, these vulnerable people-mostly women and children-have been sleeping in the open air without food or basic necessities,” said Floribert Dezunga, one of the displaced residents. Traditional local authorities warn that the continued armed violence in the Bulé region could trigger a major humanitarian catastrophe if urgent assistance is not provided. They are calling on national authorities and humanitarian organizations to open a humanitarian corridor to facilitate aid delivery and prevent further loss of life among the displaced population.