3,000 children out of school in Kasai region of DR Congo

By Rodrigue Forku

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AA) - At least 3,000 children, including 1,424 girls, have been out of school since the end of March following recent intercommunal clashes in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a UN report on Monday.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the clashes in the health zones of Kakenge and Bena Leka have also forced 36,600 people to flee the area.

Temporary learning spaces, school supplies for students, teachers and host schools, as well as the organization of remedial classes and training of teachers in psychosocial support are urgently needed to facilitate the return of children to school, according to OCHA.

No emergency education response capacity is available in the two affected provinces, according to the report.

It warned that if urgent action is not taken to support these displaced students, they risk being exposed to various types of abuse and exploitation.

At least 651,500 people are in need of emergency food assistance in the territories of Kamonia and Luebo (Kasai), Dibaya (Kasai central) and Kabeya Kamuanga (Kasai-Oriental), OCHA said, quoting the Food Security Cluster of the Kasai region.