Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Conflict ETC Situation Report #3 Reporting period 24/01/18 to 15/06/18

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo was activated on 20 November 2017. Under the global leadership of the World Food Programme (WFP), the ETC is coordinating the ICT response with government, the private sector and humanitarian partners on the ground.

Highlights

 The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) is providing shared security telecommunications services to support humanitarian operations in the Kasai region, South Kivu and Tanganyika. These services are available in and Tshikapa (Kasai-Occidental), Mbuji-Mayi (Kasai-Oriental), (South Kivu) and in (Tanganyika).

 The ETC carried out assessment missions in Sud Kivu and Tanganika provinces in May 2018 to evaluate evolving needs and adjust plans Healthcare worker disinfects areas where cases of deaths from Ebola have been reported. accordingly. Photo: WHO  Due to the Ebola outbreak in May 2018, the ETC has submitted a funding application to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide services in the affected areas in the North-West part of DRC.

Situation Overview

On 8 May 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an Ebola outbreak in Bikoro Health Zone, Equateur Province. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the epidemic seems to be stabilizing with zero deaths and zero new cases since 21 May.

Bikoro, Iboko, Wangata and Itipo, are affected health zones located in a dense forest intertwined by rivers and lakes in Équateur province. Access by road is limited to cars and motorcycles. Humanitarians are facing logistical and communications challenges as most parts of these areas are not covered by mobile network coverage. It has been reported that satellite phone are experiencing performance difficulties because of the density of the forest.

The ETC is a global network of organizations that work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies

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ETC Response

 The ETC conducted an assessment in the provinces of South- Kivu and Tanganika provinces in the first half of May to identify evolving communications needs. [Full report in French is available here: https://www.etcluster.org/document/etc-assessment-report-sud-kivu-and-tanganika-provinces-may-2018- fr]. o The recommendation for South-Kivu was to deploy an inter-agency Communications Centre (COMCEN) in Baraka and Uvira. In addition, the installation of a radio repeater in Lusenda – covering Mboko- was recommended to provide security telecommunication services to humanitarians. o In Tanganika, it was recommended to upgrade the COMCEN in Kalemi upgrade radio room and to set up COMCENs in Nyunzu and Kabalo.  In the Kasai region, the ETC has a minimum security telecommunications infrastructure operational in Kananga, Tshikapa and Mbuju-Mayi.  Due to the Ebola outbreak in May 2018, the ETC is monitoring the situation and engaging with partners on the ground to evaluate needs. The ETC is preparing a plan for the next three months that includes prepositioning connectivity kits in , which can be deployed in surrounding areas if necessary.

Planned Response

 Following the assessment conducted, the ETC will provide security telecommunications services in Uvira and Baraka (South Kivu) as well as in Nyunzu and Kabalo (Tanganyika).  In Lusenda (South-Kivu), the ETC is planning to provide Very High Frequency (VHF) radio services to NGOs and UN agencies in the refugee camps area to facilitate humanitarian operations.

Challenges

 Unstable security conditions in the affected areas is the main challenge that humanitarians are currently facing.

Funding

 The ETC received US$600,000 from the Central Emergency Response Fund - Rapid Response (CERF RR) fund to further upgrade security telecommunications in Kasai, Sud-Kivu and Tanganyika provinces.

 As part of the Ebola outbreak, the ETC has submitted a funding proposal to USAID a for a three-month monitoring period in the Mbandaka area and coordinate deployment of communications services, if required, from there.

Meetings

 The next Global ETC teleconference on the ETC activities in DRC, Central African Republic (CAR) and Nigeria will be held on 11 July 2018.

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The ETC is a global network of organizations that work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies

Information

 Information on the ETC activities in DRC can be found at: www.etcluster.org/emergencies/democratic- republic-congo-drc-complex-emergency

 The latest ETC services map is available in the following link: https://www.etcluster.org/sites/default/files/documents/COD_ETS_Services_A3L_20180606_0.pdf

Key ETC Contacts

LOCATION NAME TITLE EMAIL DRC Karim Kangbeya ETC Coordinator [email protected] DRC Jean-Claude Kibonge ETC Project Manager [email protected] UAE Erika Iglesias ETC Information Management Officer [email protected]

Acronyms

CERF Central Emergency Response Fund COMCEN Communications Centre DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ETC Emergency Telecommunications Cluster ICT Information and Communications Technology IT Information Technology OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN United Nations USAID Central Emergency Response Fund WFP UN World Food Programme VHF Very High Frequency WHO World Health Organization

All information related to ETC operations can be found on the ETC website: www.ETCluster.org

For more information, or to be added or deleted from the mailing list, please contact: [email protected]

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The ETC is a global network of organizations that work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies