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First food reaches displaced Congolese in camps around Goma

News Stories, 5 November 2008

© UNHCR/P.Taggart
One of the UNHCR trucks arrives in Goma with aid for the displaced.

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, November 5 (UNHCR) – As a massive food distribution got under way Wednesday in six UNHCR-run camps for tens of thousands of internally displaced Congolese in North Kivu, the UN refugee agency prepared to hand out tonnes of shelter and household items.

A four-truck UNHCR convoy carrying 33 tonnes of various aid items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans crossed Wednesday from Rwanda into Goma, the capital of the conflict-hit province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid, from regional emergency stockpile in Tanzania, was scheduled for immediate distribution.

It arrived in Goma as the World Food Programme (WFP), with assistance from UNHCR, began distributing food to some 135,000 displaced people in the six camps run by the refugee agency near Goma.

The food distribution is the first in North Kivu since a major new eruption of fighting between the DRC armed forces and fighters loyal to renegade general, Laurent Nkunda, sent tens of thousands of displaced people fleeing for their lives. Many have ended up in the six camps.

The aid operations were made possible following a ceasefire and relative calm over the past few days. But reports of fresh fighting Tuesday between the pro-government Mai Mai militia and Nkunda's forces in the Rutshuru region, some 70 kilometres north of Goma, are threatening to restrict the movement of humanitarian agencies once more.

The UN refugee agency was able earlier this week to begin improving shelter and sanitation facilities at the crowded Kibati camp for internally displaced people, which is located close to Goma. The camp population grew from 15,000 to some 65,000 people in the space of a few days.

UNHCR, through its implementing partners, has constructed three Rubb halls at Kibati, which will be used to provide shelter for the displaced. These giant portable warehouses can each accommodate about 200 people. The third one was completed on Wednesday.

It is currently the rainy season and many people have no shelter from the elements. Many also lack blankets or mats, but UNHCR's aid delivery should help many.

The biggest obstacle for humanitarian workers in North Kivu is the reduced or non-existent access to the most vulnerable people and families.

UNHCR is also concerned that armed men might be infiltrating the IDP camps. "We are again calling upon all parties to the conflict to respect the civilian character of all sites. This is of utmost importance as we are trying to ease the suffering of the displaced population" said Karl Steinacker, the UNHCR emergency coordinator in eastern DRC. UNHCR is concerned that Kibati is now the frontline between the army and Nkunda's fighters.

More than 250,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed in August in North Kivu. Estimates are that there are now more than 1.3 million displaced people in this province alone.

By David Nthengwe in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Displaced in North Kivu: A Life on the Run

Fighting rages on in various parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with seemingly no end in sight for hundreds of thousands of Congolese forced to flee violence and instability over the past two years. The ebb and flow of conflict has left many people constantly on the move, while many families have been separated. At least 1 million people are displaced in North Kivu, the hardest hit province. After years of conflict, more than 1,000 people still die every day - mostly of hunger and treatable diseases. In some areas, two out of three women have been raped. Abductions persist and children are forcefully recruited to fight. Outbreaks of cholera and other diseases have increased as the situation deteriorates and humanitarian agencies struggle to respond to the needs of the displaced.

When the displacement crisis worsened in North Kivu in 2007, the UN refugee agency sent emergency teams to the area and set up operations in several camps for internally displaced people (IDPs). Assistance efforts have also included registering displaced people and distributing non-food aid. UNHCR carries out protection monitoring to identify human rights abuses and other problems faced by IDPs in North and South Kivu.

Displaced in North Kivu: A Life on the Run

The crisis in North Kivu continues

Insecurity in Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province continues, with more than 500,000 people internally displaced, many for the second or third time. Armed combat, persecution of civilians, killings, abductions, sexual abuse and forced recruitment of children still lead to displacement. Reports of rapes and murders number in the thousands. Some 176,000 of the displaced live in Masisi District, including 49,000 hosted in 19 camps. Conditions are harsh, with entire families living in one-room ramshackle huts with no water or services. UNHCR is very concerned about the security situation, living conditions and the future of the displaced. Even though some 36,000 people living in camps in North Kivu managed to return home in 2010, approximately 72,000 remain.

UNHCR is coordinating 31 camps for internally displaced people (IDP) in the whole of North Kivu, providing emergency assistance. UNHCR is facing enormous challenges in terms of access to the areas where the IDPs are hosted and continues to plead for humanitarian access to assist the people in need.

The crisis in North Kivu continues

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

As a massive food distribution gets underway in six UNHCR-run camps for tens of thousands of internally displaced Congolese in North Kivu, the UN refugee agency continues to hand out desperately needed shelter and household items.

A four-truck UNHCR convoy carrying 33 tonnes of various aid items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans crossed Wednesday from Rwanda into Goma, the capital of the conflict-hit province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid, from regional emergency stockpiles in Tanzania, was scheduled for immediate distribution. The supplies arrived in Goma as the World Food Programme (WFP), with assistance from UNHCR, began distributing food to some 135,000 displaced people in the six camps run by the refugee agency near Goma.

More than 250,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed in August in North Kivu. Estimates are that there are now more than 1.3 million displaced people in this province alone.

Posted on 6 November 2008

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

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