The security and governance situation in the region has worsened in recent years of conflict. The United Nations estimates that there are around 7.7 million internally displaced people and refugees in the DRC and 524,000 DRC nationals living in refugee camps outside the country. By increasing poverty, displacement, immobility and eroding social networks, conflicts contribute to the vulnerability of marginalized populations. p. 15.

The population density is highest in the east of the country, especially in the towns on the borders of Uganda and Rwanda (500 to 2,000 people per km2). Internal migration, in part due to ongoing conflicts, has resulted in land tenure issues, including fragmentation of agricultural land and the lack of measures to improve long-term soil quality. This decreases the capacity to adapt to climate change and increases vulnerability, especially for the agricultural sector and food security. p. 16,

However, children and young people already suffer from it due to their metabolic, physiological and developmental needs. This implies, for example, that forced displacement that affects a range of rights – from the right to water, sanitation and food, to the right to adequate housing, education and development – will probably affect children to a greater degree.p. 17

Population displacement as a potential impact of landslides, erosion and drought p. 41,42.