Democratic Republic of Congo

UN aid convoy arrives

Article published on the 2008-11-03 Latest update 2008-11-03 15:02 TU

A Congolese IDP on the road outside Goma.
(Credit: Reuters)

A UN aid convoy has arrived in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town of Rutushuru on Monday to deliver the first shipment of humanitarian aid in a week. The UN met with government troops and Laurent Nkunda's rebels, who are currently occupying the town, in order to ensure that the convoy would be safe.

The convoy was escorted to Rutushuru, 75 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Goma, by 50 UN peacekeepers.

The 250,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) around Goma have not had continuous access to food and water since the upsurge in fighting one week ago. IDPs from the rural areas had begun to return home, as they were unable to find food, water and shelter closer to Goma.

"They returned to their villages, but couldn't find their houses," said Godfroid Marhegané, an worker for aid agency Oxfam in Goma. "The houses were either burned down or demolished."

Marhegané said that those whose homes are gone are staying with neighbours, but are all are still lacking humanitarian assistance.

"IDPs are very frustrated ... they don't have access to their human dignity," he added.

Humanitarians have been attacked in the Nord-Kivu region in the past, according to Patrick Lavand'homme, the UN humanitarian affairs spokesman in Goma.

The World Health Organisation and Italy have announced they are sending ten tonnes of medical supplies to the region, which will help 60,000 people for one month.

Aid organization Doctors Without Borders has been operating mobile clinics, Ann Taylor, the head of the Goma division, told RFI.

"We have a high incidence of resperatory infections, because this is a mountainous area and it's cold at night, and it is the rainy season," said Taylor.

Humanitarian workers have had a hard time trying to get through and many have had to suspend their programmes temporarily due to lack of access and poor security.

"It is difficult for them to reach a rebel-controlled zone as well as a government-controlled zone," said Lavand'homme. "We really have to advocate for all the parties in the conflict to respect the neutrality and independence of the humanitarians working there."