DRC: Displaced Pygmy community struggles far from the forest

By Malaika Élysée

In Beni, eastern DR Congo, families from the Indigenous Pygmy community are living in extreme hardship after fleeing rebel violence. Since May 2026, they have found refuge in Boikene, far from their forests and traditional means of subsistence. But they are struggling to survive and hoping to one day return home.

In Boikene, in the northern part of Beni, the nights are long. Under makeshift shelters, families from the indigenous Pygmy community try to sleep on the ground.

There are no proper homes here, few blankets and almost no protection from the elements.

These families fled their homes in May 2026 following attacks attributed to rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces in the Ndandi area. They left behind their homes, fields and, above all, their forest, which played a central role in their daily lives.

For these families, the forest was not simply a place to live. It was also a source of food and income through hunting, gathering and other traditional activities.

“We spend the night in very poor conditions. We have no roof, we sleep on the ground, without blankets or any protection,” says Apolline Apusome, a displaced Pygmy.

Their departure came amid fear and urgency. Violence forced these families to abandon the forest, sometimes without being able to take their belongings with them. Some say they witnessed killings and abductions.

Paul Nguka, also displaced, says: “We fled the forest because this war forced us to. The attackers killed some people and took others into the forest. We could no longer stay there.”

Since arriving at the site, the families have been trying to adapt to a life that is unfamiliar to them. Resources are scarce and needs are numerous: food, clothing, shelter, clean water and access to healthcare.

For a community already facing marginalisation, forced displacement has further increased their vulnerability. Away from their usual environment, these families have lost part of their livelihoods and now depend largely on outside assistance.

For John Mangese, the trauma of the violence remains deeply present. He says he witnessed several killings before fleeing.

“They had killed several people in front of my eyes. They had captured us while Nzanzu Mangese was still there… We are simply asking for peace so that we, the first inhabitants, can return to our forests and find our former way of life, because we are suffering enormously,” he says.

The precarious conditions at the camp are also worrying human rights defenders. They are calling for a stronger humanitarian response for these families, who are particularly vulnerable in an already difficult security and health context.

‘Inhumane’
The situation is all the more concerning as the Beni region is facing an Ebola outbreak. Access to healthcare and essential services is an additional challenge for people already living in extremely difficult conditions.

Jereve Maneno, an activist with rights group Lutte Pour le Changement (Fight for Change, or LUCHA), describes the living conditions as “inhumane.”

“What is happening in this camp is truly inhumane and it has to stop because it is really horrible. They are living a painful life, they are living without shelter. We are calling on the international community to act in the face of this scourge affecting our country,” he says.

In Boikene, the future remains uncertain. These families do not know when they will be able to return to their land or whether they will ever be able to resume the lives they led before the violence.

According to site officials, at least five deaths have already been recorded among the displaced since their arrival, amid a lack of resources and particularly precarious living conditions.

For these families, displacement is therefore not simply the loss of a home. It is also a rupture with a territory, a forest and a way of life passed down from generation to generation.

As they wait for peace to return, they remain in Boikene, in makeshift shelters, holding on to the same hope: that one day they will be able to go home and return to their forest.