A UN body reports that 350,000 people are homeless due to war in Congo

The fighting has left over 350,000 displaced people without a place to live, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which expressed worry on Friday over the “rapidly deteriorating” situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Last month, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels took control of Goma, the main city in eastern Congo, and have since been slowly moving south. A local authority has warned that this move might lead to a wider disaster in a region that is already home to thousands of displaced people.

Speaking via video connection, UNHCR spokeswoman Eujin Byun informed reporters in Geneva that 70,000 emergency shelters had been damaged in the Goma and Minova areas, leaving some 350,000 internally displaced people without a place to stay. It was also dangerous for them to return home because of unexploded explosives.

According to UNHCR, several camps in Minova are devastated, and almost 70% of Goma’s camps are demolished.

“Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in makeshift accommodation, including churches and hospitals,” Byun said.

As it and other organizations try to deliver relief in the midst of the conflict, the agency also noted a rise in criminality and the rising threat of illness.

“In South Kivu over 50% of the humanitarian organizations that provide critical support, such as against sexual violence, are unable to reach those in need,” Byun explained.

The CODECO militia attacked a group of communities in eastern Congo late last week, killing over 80 civilians, the U.N. peacekeeping agency MONUSCO said Thursday.

The displacement camps have grown since M23 started its march, and CODECO is one of several militias battling for territory and resources.

Kigali disputes accusations made by Congo, the UN, and Western nations that Rwanda is providing M23 with its own troops and weaponry.

The latest warfare has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and at least 3,000 dead.