DATE=7/28/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=UNHCR / CONGO REFUGEES (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-264889
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, says
at least six-thousand refugees recently fled into the
Central African Republic to escape fighting between
government and rebel forces in northwestern Congo-Kinshasa.
Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the agency says it is
bracing for thousands more refugees.
TEXT: The United Nations Refugee Agency says most of the
new arrivals in the Central African Republic are women and
children. The refugees tell aid workers they are fleeing
bombings by the Congolese army around the town of Libenge.
Delphine Marie of the U-N-H-C-R says the report of bombings
has been confirmed by aid workers who went to the Central
African Republic town of Mongoumba this week. She says
they saw bombs being dropped on Libenge, which is on the
other side of the Ubangui River in Congo-Kinshasa.
/// MARIE ACT ///
The refugees are saying that N-R-C rebels are
patrolling the river in barges and different river
vehicles, and they would be preventing some refugees
from crossing or at least they would be reportedly
asking for some fee to cross the river or to help the
refugees cross the river or even to let them cross
without intervening. So, that is apparently making
some departure difficult.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Marie says she believes a lot of people from
Libenge are scattered in the dense forest nearby
waiting for an opportunity to flee to the Central
African Republic or further South to Congo-
Brazzaville. She says the refugee agency is
bracing for an influx of thousands more Congolese
refugees. She says another camp may have to be
set up to house the new arrivals.
Meanwhile, Ms. Marie says aid workers still do
not have access to most of the 65-thousand
refugees who fled from Congo-Kinshasa to Congo-
Brazzaville. She says most of the refugees are
scattered in remote villages along the Ubangui
and Congo Rivers. But, with the help of the
government, she says a U-N-H-C-R team is planning
to go to the town of Liranga on Saturday. Ms.
Marie says the team will bring some two-thousand
refugees agricultural tools, fishing nets, water
jerry cans and other supplies.
/// MARIE SECOND ACT ///
They are also taking a water engineer there
because it seems, as we have said
previously, in the region, the most urgent
need and the real problem at the moment is
the quality of water. That is why we have
had these cases of intestinal problems and
some cases of shigella, which we now have
confirmed in Njoundou and Liranga. We
don't know exactly how many, but the mere
presence of this disease is quite worrying.
/// END ACT ///
Shigella is a cholera-like disease, which is
treated with antibiotics and high protein food.
The U-N Refugee Agency is particularly worried
about conditions in the town of Njoundou where an
estimated five thousand people, are believed to
have the disease. Njoundou is cut off from
international assistance because it lies near a
dangerous stretch of the river. (Signed)
NEB/LS/GE/PW
28-Jul-2000 10:08 AM EDT (28-Jul-2000 1408 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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