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United Nations Delivering Critical Supplies to Displaced Congolese

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
04 November 2008

UN aid agencies are joining together to provide critical relief to tens of thousands of Congolese displaced by fighting in North Kivu. In the last week, the United Nations reports about 100,000 people, 60 percent of whom are children, have fled their homes because of fighting between government and rebel forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the UN's European headquarters in Geneva.

United Nations aid agencies are trying to come to grips with a whole host of problems. One of these is to try to locate the whereabouts of tens of thousands of internally displaced people who fled their camps late last week.

The UN refugee agency reports three sites it runs near the town of Rutshuru in eastern DRC have been destroyed and emptied. UNHCR spokesman, Ron Redmond, said the agency is assessing the state of the camps and other makeshift sites in the area.

He said aid workers are trying find out what happened to some 50,000 people who were sheltered there until they disappeared last week.

He added, "The internally displaced people from the camps have reportedly fled north and also eastward towards Ishasha in Uganda. Many have reportedly joined friends and relatives in nearby villages while others have sought shelter in churches and other public buildings. Our staff has also reported that they passed Kibumba, the makeshift site some 40 kilometers north of Goma. They described it as empty and destroyed, as if nothing had existed there previously."

Redmond said Kibumba sheltered about 26,000 people. Most of them are now at Kibati camp north of Goma. He said the Kibati displaced population has now swelled to around 65,000 people.

He said on Monday, the UNHCR constructed the first of at least five large portable warehouses that will be used to provide temporary shelter to the newly displaced families.

An estimated quarter of a million people have been displaced since fighting escalated between the government and troops loyal to renegade leader Laurent Nkunda in August, more than a third just this last week.

Aid agencies said the biggest needs are for food and clean water. The World Food Program said on Wednesday it will start distributing a 10-day ration of food to more than 13,000 people in six camps around Goma.

WFP spokeswoman, Emilia Casella, said the distribution will happen on the same day to prevent unrest.

"We have sufficient stocks in Goma for a limited, but immediate response. But, on the medium term, our food supply picture is a major concern," said Casella. "We are calling forward more food from Uganda and Zambia and there are some contingency stocks available in Bukavu. Security and access, however, remain the main concern for World Food Program and all of our partners and all humanitarians in the area … We really need better guarantees from all sides for safe passage for humanitarian staff and goods to the areas that are known to be in greatest need."

The aid agencies are warning epidemics of cholera and measles are at serious risk of breaking out. They are sending tons of medicines and vaccines to the area in hopes of averting a major health crisis.