Cholera Epidemic Rages Among Rwandan Refugees in Eastern Zaire

Strategic Insights -

Aid workers warn that the cholera epidemic raging among the one million Rwandan refugees in border camps in eastern Zaire could claim tens of thousands of lives within days. The crisis has overwhelmed traditional relief agencies, and aid experts are calling for a massive military intervention to deliver life-saving supplies to the refugees. The situation in Goma, a border town, has become a "hell on earth," with conditions so dire that even the Red Cross is struggling to cope.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 200 bodies were buried in a mass grave near a banana plantation in Goma, and the death toll is expected to rise exponentially if relief aid does not arrive soon.
  • Cholera is highly contagious, kills within hours, and has a death rate of up to 90% if left untreated. More than 800 refugees have died from cholera in the past 24 hours.
  • The refugee camps are facing a water shortage, with lines of refugees forming to collect water from Lake Kivu, 6.5 kilometers away. The lack of clean water is at the heart of the cholera epidemic.
  • Mr. Daan Everts, deputy head of the UN World Food Program, reports that not a grain of food had reached the refugees by this morning, and a convoy of trucks was blocked by Rwandan soldiers demanding a percentage of the food.
  • Conditions in Goma have not stopped the flow of refugees, with tens of thousands more fleeing across the border yesterday. In the past week, an estimated 1.7 million Rwandans have left the country in fear of retribution from victorious rebels.
  • Aid experts warn that the crisis is beyond traditional relief agencies and requires a massive military intervention to deliver life-saving supplies.

Statistics:

  • 1 million: The number of Rwandan refugees in border camps in eastern Zaire.
  • 200: The number of bodies buried in a mass grave near a banana plantation in Goma.
  • 800: The number of refugees who died from cholera in the past 24 hours.
  • 90%: The death rate for cholera if left untreated.
  • 1.7 million: The estimated number of Rwandans who have left the country in the past week.
  • 6.5 kilometers: The distance from Goma to Lake Kivu, where refugees are gathering for water.

Sources:

  • Relief workers in eastern Zaire
  • Isabel Pardigu, spokeswoman for Medecins Sans Frontieres
  • Philip Johnston, head of the US relief agency CARE
  • Daan Everts, deputy head of the UN World Food Program
  • Reuters and AFP news agencies