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| Refugees waiting in line in Congo. |
Humanitarian organisations had to evacuate their staff from Masisi temporarily on 29 November in fear of the spreading of clashes, but have since returned to Masisi to resume their activities. Access to some of the affected areas remains difficult at times due to bad road conditions (especially in Masisi) and occasional harassment of NGO vehicles by armed groups along the road (particularly in the Goma-Rutshuru axis).
The town of Goma is rather calm, but the official curfew from 11pm to 5am is still enforced.
The incidence of looting by all armed groups is increasing in all areas of the province from Goma up to the surroundings of Butembo. Children and youth are reportedly still being forcibly recruited by several armed groups.
Road blocks and arbitrary taxes are being imposed on commercial vehicles and private individuals passing through rebel-held zones (not NGOs). These taxes, coupled with the general insecurity that blocks supply roads and prevents people from harvesting their crops, have contributed to the exponential rise in food prices and some basic commodities in Goma. Food prices in Goma town are reported to have risen by 144 percent between January and November. Also the price of charcoal has more than tripled.
Political progress in settling the crisis Congolese and Rwandan governments held discussions last week on the FDLR disarmament process, and agreed last Friday on joint operations against the FDLR. Rwanda has agreed to help the Congolese army in intelligence and planning of such operations.
After Olusegun Obasanjo’s mediation efforts between the government in Kinshasa and the CNDP, negotiations between CNDP and the government began on 8 December in Nairobi. Neither Nkunda nor Kabila are present in the talks. Skepticism prevails as to whether these negotiations are likely to bring about any concrete results.
Humanitarian situation
The slightly improved security situation in the past weeks has allowed for humanitarian aid operations to provide assistance to the displaced people who have settled in camps or other sites within host communities. However, great numbers of people still remain on the move. The armed confrontations in Masisi have displaced approximately 25,000 people in the past week. Some movement of return can be observed in several localities in the Rutshuru territory and also on the Minova axis. This return is not necessarily inspired by confidence that the places of origin are secure, but rather by the fact that the harvesting period is beginning. If the population, whose survival depends on agriculture, does not return to harvest they will lose the production for which they have been working for the past agricultural season.
Sanitation remains a concern both in internally displaced persons (IDPs) sites and within host communities particularly in Goma. Eleven schools within Goma town are still occupied at night time by IDPs without other shelter.
In areas of return, health and nutrition issues urgently need to be addressed. Health centres have been looted in many localities, and the rate of malnourished children among both displaced and returnee communities seem to be higher than normal (nutritional surveys are ongoing but there are no official results yet.)
The education cluster is concerned about the disruption of educational activities in the affected areas. This is not among the life-threatening concerns, but means that yet another school year is lost for tens of thousands of school-aged children.
The number of Congolese refugees that have fled fighting to Uganda is now estimated at 30,000 people.
ACT response
The ACT members have continued their previously ongoing projects, that are not necessarily responding directly to the latest crisis, but are addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in areas less affected by the most recent waves of fighting. However, national ACT members have made preliminary arrangements in terms of the forming and training of teams in order to ensure rapid mobilisation when the funds for the ACT appeal activities become available. Ongoing ACT member projects in North Kivu include mainly hygiene education, responding to gender-based violence, nutrition and food security activities.
Non-food items kits were distributed last week by ACT members to 175 vulnerable IDP households within Goma town.
A Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) team and equipment from Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) has arrived in Goma. NCA and its partners are in the process of redefining the areas of intervention based on the updated situation analysis and needs assessment. The NCA WASH project is already ongoing in Nzulo town and the Majengo district of Goma town.
LWF teams have returned to Kayna and Kirumba, and are resuming previously operational food security and nutrition activities in the area, including re-equipping the Kayna Therapeutic Nutrition Centre that was looted and destroyed by soldiers in November. LWF has also started preparations for the intensified nutrition and food security activities proposed in the ACT preliminary appeal for 4,800 malnourished children and their families in the south Lubero area.
Appeal for funds
| ACT International |
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DanChurchAid is a meber of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. |
The ACT Coordinating Office has been in discussion with The Sphere Project and HAP International to improve minimum standards and accountability on the ground through the deployment of county-level support. Additionally, a security consultant, funded by DanChurchAid, has completed a security assessment and recommendations for the ACT members working in eastern DRC.
The preliminary appeal for US $1,888,215 is currently 69 percent covered with pledges and contributions. Initial funding has been disbursed to the ACT members in eastern DRC and activities are beginning. A full appeal will be released in the coming days.
ACT is also supporting refugees in Uganda displaced by the violence in eastern DRC. The Church of Uganda received US $56,333 from the ACT Rapid Response Fund and is distributing food and non-food items to support 6,000 people.
Situation Report by ACT International