Thousands seek refuge as conflict in Congo escalates – in pictures

There has been a sharp increase in the number of people arriving in Kibati over the last week, and conditions in the camp mean there is a high risk of cholera. People walked for days to get to Kibati. In some cases, the little that they had with them when they fled was looted by armed groups on their journey to the camp Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

People have built shelters out of the materials they have managed to find Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

Hundreds of refugees continue to arrive each day in Kibati. Two million people are now displaced across the DRC, the highest figure the country has seen since 2009 Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

It took two days for Jeanne (not her real name), her husband and three children to reach the camp. 'We were working in the fields when we heard shooting and there were bullets around us. So we ran away with just the clothes on our backs – we have nothing,' she says. 'We do not dare go home' Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

People in the camp have sought shelter in schools, churches or with host families but thousands are sleeping out in the open. The makeshift shelters will not withstand the approaching rainy season Photograph: Eddy Mbuyi/Oxfam

The recent influx of displaced people is a consequence of the heightened conflict. Local authorities estimate there are now 30,000 displaced people living there. This figure was reported to be 7,700 only last week Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

Annie (not her real name) came to Kibati more than two weeks ago with her husband and three children. Her youngest is just three months old. 'I am scared the rebels will come here and then what will happen to us?’ she asks. ‘We were terrified that we might be attacked while farming. But we had to make a living and feed our family' Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

Children play on desks from the school they are now living in Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

Oxfam is trucking water to thousands of people at Kibati camp, many of whom were depending on rainwater Photograph: Eddy Mbuyi/Oxfam

Even before the arrival of people fleeing conflict in North Kivu, Kibati did not have any clean water sources. Residents had to go into Goma or across to Rwanda to get clean water. When Oxfam arrived at the site last week, many people had not had any access to clean water for days Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

The local authorities have now designated a space for an official campsite and are going to ask displaced people to leave schools and churches Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam

Helene (not her real name) fled with her husband and six children. 'We were out in the fields when we heard bullets being fired,' she says. 'We just left with what we could. We e thought that the rebels would come and kill us all … We do not feel secure here. Bandits come in the middle of the night and loot the little that people have' Photograph: Marie Cacace/Oxfam