• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%
  • Also available in French

UNHCR backs calls for ceasefire in DR Congo as concern mounts

News Stories, 7 November 2008

© UNHCR/P.Taggart
A young woman flees with her child from Kibati.

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, November 7 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday backed mounting calls for an immediate halt to fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid growing concerns over tens of thousands of displaced civilians.

"We hope today's talks in Nairobi will lead to an immediate end to hostilities because the humanitarian needs in North Kivu are enormous," said UNHCR chief spokesman Ron Redmond as regional leaders met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Kenya to discuss how to avoid the fighting from escalating into a regional conflict and salvage a peace deal forged in January between DRC's rivals.

The refugee agency is extremely concerned about the security of some 65,000 internally displaced civilians in the Kibati camps on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of troubled North Kivu province. "We fear that the civilian population, already in a desperate humanitarian situation, could be caught in the crossfire should fighting resume in the area," said the spokesman.

UNHCR staff said shooting had erupted on Friday morning in the vicinity of the two Kibati camps, interrupting the distribution of aid and causing panic among the camp population. The shooting stopped after about 30 minutes, the UNHCR staff reported, while adding that people from the camp continued to move south toward Goma. A fresh outbreak of shooting was heard later in the day, sending the internally displaced people (IDPs) into a new panic.

"Thousands of IDPs fled Kibati camp after hearing gunfire. Families with children gathered their few possessions ... and headed towards Goma. Some children were screaming for their parents after getting lost in the confusion of the exodus," said one eye-witness after the morning clashes. "The road to Goma had a steady flow of IDPs heading south, while [government] soldiers were seen marching north to the camp."

The fighting is pitting government soldiers and pro-government militia against fighters loyal to renegade commander, Laurent Nkunda, and the opposing forces are close to the camps.

"We are again appealing to all sides in the conflict to respect the civilian character of the camps, to respect humanitarian principles and to ensure the safety of civilians and those trying to help them. There is also a risk of militarization in the camps," said the UNHCR spokesman.

UNHCR and other agencies are rushing to get life-saving assistance to the internally displaced civilians as quickly as possible in an extremely volatile environment characterized by widespread human rights abuses and general lawlessness.

The agencies have been distributing humanitarian assistance in Kibati, including food, plastic sheeting for shelter construction, blankets, mats, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and jerry cans. Deliveries are being made to six UNHCR-managed camps around Goma.

The refugee agency is looking into the possibility of opening another camp west of Goma in case the situation in Kibati becomes untenable. The security situation in Goma was quiet though tense on Friday.

Fighting in North Kivu intensified at the end of 2006. By January 2008, it had brought the total number of IDPs in the region to more than 800,000. Since the fighting resumed in August, some 250,000 civilians have fled, many of them already displaced.

By David Nthengwe in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related stories by:

UNHCR country pages

Internally Displaced People

The internally displaced seek safety in other parts of their country, where they need help.

Related Internet Links

UNHCR is not responsible for the content and availability of external internet sites

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

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kimoka ReturneesPlay video

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kimoka Returnees

Conflict forced hundreds of thousands of Congolese to flee their homes in North Kivu province in 2007-2008. The villagers of Kimoka are finally returning.
Refugees in Republic of CongoPlay video

Refugees in Republic of Congo

Tens of thousands of people have reportedly fled a wave of ethnic violence in the north-west of the embattled Democratic Republic of the Congo. The civilians have fled from Equateur province, crossing the Ubangi River and seeking shelter in Republic of the Congo.
High Commissioner Guterres visits eastern CongoPlay video

High Commissioner Guterres visits eastern Congo

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres visits some of the estimated 2.1 million displaced people in eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and asks for more international assistance.