When horrific violence erupted across the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016, hundreds of thousands of people ran for their lives. They were forced to abandon their homes, villages and, in some cases, older or ailing family members. Many of those who had to flee were children. The most fortunate children and families found refuge with relatives or friends in calmer parts of the region. But many more were internally displaced, living under the open sky amid the trees and bushes of the vast, unforgiving savannah.

These families on the move had no access to healthcare, food or safe water. They had no matches to light a fire, no mosquito nets to protect them from malaria. Months of desperate existence followed. With nothing shielding them from the threats they faced – ranging from snakebites to waterborne illnesses – many people fell ill and died. The rest struggled to stay alive as fighting raged on around them.

Today, despite a lull in the fighting since the second half of 2017, waves of displacement continue because of persistent insecurity and fears of resurgent violence. Where the conflict has abated, some displaced people are returning to what is left of their villages. Often, they find that their homes and all of their possessions and livestock have been destroyed or stolen. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 3.8 million people in the Kasai region are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 2.3 million children. What is happening in Kasai is truly a children’s crisis.

A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Show all 7 1 /7 A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Therese Mulopo and her 4-month-old baby, Mbombo Marth, at Saint Martyr health centre in the city of Kananga. They have come for a one-day nutrition screening session at the Unicef-supported health facility, which provides free treatment for malnourished children. ‘During the clashes, our family found refuge a few kilometres away from a relative. But we didn’t have something to eat every day,’ says Mulopo, who also has two older children (ages five and six). ‘Our children became ill and so they were treated with traditional herbs and leaves. But the diseases, mainly diarrhoea, didn’t stop. With my husband, we used to be farmers. Before, we grew and ate rice and beans but now there is nothing there, because we could not sow any seeds last year. So there is nothing to harvest now. So, we are staying with my sister here. My only wish is to see my children eat and grow up healthy.’ Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Ngalula Badiendele and her children. None of Ms Badiendele’s four children have an appetite, and the two children in her arms, son Kajunga (left), 17 months old, and daughter Tshipala (right), three, are both malnourished. ‘We had to leave to the bush when the clashes broke out. We walked for one day and then built a shelter. We stayed there for one month. When we heard the security was better we came back but soon fights happened again. And we had to leave again to the forest, where we stayed again for one month. Life was not easy at the time. It still isn’t. I just hope peace will come back so my family will live like we used to,’ Badiendele says. Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Ntambwe (who does not know her exact age) holds her brother, Nalula Kelende, three. ‘I brought my brother Nalula to the health clinic because he suffers from malnutrition. My mother is working in the field,’ Ntambwe says. ‘We come from Dibaya [a small town]. When clashes happened, we had to walk during three days to reach Tshikaji. Since the violences, we only eat cassava and, if my parents find some money, we can sometimes buy wheat to cook food. But we often sleep with empty stomachs. All incomes from the harvests are not sufficient this year to cover all the family expenses. Nothing could be sowed this year, so there is nothing to eat anymore. I had to stop school last year because of the clashes. Since then I couldn’t go back because my family doesn’t have enough to buy me a new uniform. I would like to become a nurse one day so I could help sick children just like my brother.’ Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Muya Kapuku and his three-year-old daughter, Chosa, and his malnourished four-year-old son, Muhipay. ‘When insecurity started in Kananga, I took refuge in the bush of Mutoto Village with my family. Food conditions were terrible,’ Kapuku says. ‘We only eat tubers, fufu [a staple food in parts of West and Central Africa] and cassava leaves, once a day preferably in the evening; and these conditions have not changed yet. I lost my job as a sentry where I earned a little money and became unemployed since my return so far. I fear to lose my two children who are malnourished, but fortunately, they benefit from free nutritional care in this health centre. I wish the peace to come back in our province and to have a good job that will allow me to support my household and educate my children.’ Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Bertine Kabedi, 14, and her one-year-old daughter, Bakatuseka. “I came to the health centre because it’s been a month that my daughter doesn’t eat well,” Bertine says. ‘I come from a place called Dibaya. When violence broke out there I fled to Tshikaji to seek refuge. Unfortunately, violence started also in Tshikaji, and so I had to flee to the bush. I lived with my three-month-old newborn during two months in the bush before we came back a month ago. Life wasn’t easy in the forest, there was nothing to eat. Now I would like to set up a small business so I could feed my baby. I had to stop school a few years ago because my parents didn’t have enough to pay for school fees. I want to send my kid to school one day, but if the ongoing troubles continue I know it will be impossible.’ Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Bakena Mukendi, cradling her malnourished daughter, one-month-old Bakatjika, waits with her 28-month-old son, Manatshitua, outside the Saint Martyr health centre. ‘I am a mother of six children,’ Mukendi says. ‘When violence broke out, we had to flee with the whole family to the forest. We stayed there for two months, eating cassava only and palm oil. All my children fell sick then. They suffered from fever and diarrhoea. We had to cure them with traditional health care with tree leaves. I came back four months ago to Tshikaji. Before, I had a small shop, but I lost everything when we ran away – all my savings. My husband now does small jobs so all the family can survive. Despite our situation and small incomes, I am proud to have sent all my children to school, because I know how important education is for their future.’ Unicef/Tremeau A children's crisis: Violence and insecurity in Congo Tshiela Masengu brings in her malnourished grandson Jean, four, to the health centre. ‘My daughter was killed when clashes happened in April 2017, leaving behind her six orphans that I took care of. Jean’s father died a few years ago already,’ Masengu says. ‘During the fights, we took refuge in the forest with all six kids. We stayed there for weeks, without any food. This is when Jean fell sick. That’s why I brought him to the centre, because he suffers from malnutrition. I want him to be better, but I am worried about what tomorrow will bring. I have a small coconut business, but it is not enough to support the family. But I am proud to have sent the two oldest ones (11 and eight) to school this year. I would like all of them to go to school one day. This conflict took away my daughter from me, and destroyed the future of my grandchildren. I would like it to end now.’ Unicef/Tremeau

Violence and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to seriously impede access to critical services for millions of children country-wide. As a result of the continuing conflict, more than 13 million people across the country, including 7.9 million children, need humanitarian assistance. Many people are also internally displaced; about 7.7 million people are facing severe food insecurity; and at least 1.9 million children under the age of five are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

In the Kasai region, the needs of displaced and returning families remain enormous as a result of violence, mass displacement and reduced agricultural production over the past 18 months. Severe food insecurity now affects large parts of the volatile region, leaving most households unable to work their land to grow crops, and little produce to buy or sell at local markets. An estimated 400,000 children under the age of five in the region are severely malnourished and are at risk of dying if not reached with urgent life-saving health and nutrition assistance.

As part of its multi-sectoral response to the emergency, Unicef has scaled up integrated health, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, education, protection in the country, with a focus on the Kasai and eastern regions. In response to the nutrition crisis in the Kasai region, Unicef support includes treatment and therapeutic care for children 6-59 months old with severe acute malnutrition. In areas affected by conflict and disease outbreaks, Unicef and partners have also stepped up efforts to improve children’s access to primary health care in communities and health centres.