Survivors recount atrocities as they battle starvation in Congo

About 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Democratic Republic of ­Congo’s (DRC) Kasai region, ­including 60,000 children, after a ­series of killings left hundreds dead. The UN has said at least 42 mass graves have been found.

“Some people have even eaten sand to try and prevent starvation,” said Paulin Kiyankayi, a grim-faced doctor at Kikwit general hospital in DR Congo.

He is tired after struggling for months to deal with a huge rise in the sick and hungry filling his wards, displaced people fleeing violence ­between tribal militias and security forces.

“They suffer from anaemia, fever, diarrhoea and abrasions,” Kiyankayi said, listing the many health issues he’s battling to treat with limited supplies. “And all are affected by malnutrition.”

Since last September, the armed followers of tribal chieftain Kamwina Nsapu – who was killed in 2016 – have challenged the authority of the central government, in the belief Nsapu is still alive, because he was buried by officials with no respect to tribal tradition.

The fighting has led to a sharp deterioration in the political, ­security and humanitarian sit­uation in DRC, and almost every week there are new victims of violence and human rights abuses.