UNICEF is already providing assistance to hundreds of women and children seeking shelter at Goma’s Don Bosco Catholic Center.

“UNICEF’s message is always the same – that all parties to the conflict respect the rights of civilians; respect the right of humanitarian actors to access affected populations. That’s our biggest concern for the moment,” she said.

Zicherman added that UNICEF has emergency plans in place.

“UNICEF has a significant presence in Goma with significant emergency stock. So as soon as the emergency situation permits UNICEF staff and partners to move around the town and do assessments, we will be responding with essential household items, with shelter materials, with nutrition intervention, with health intervention, with water and sanitation interventions. We’re quite concerned about the possibility of cholera,” she said.

Cholera has been a problem before both in Goma and the Kanyaruchinya camp.