Dear journalists,
Please find attached the English version of our latest inter-agency weekly information bulletin “Humanitarian Action in the DRC”, which is also pasted below for your convenience. I have attached also our latest Press Briefing in French.
All our documents are also available on our inter-agency humanitarian website for the DRC (http://www.rdc-humanitaire.net) as well as on ReliefWeb (http://www.reliefweb.int).
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information on humanitarian needs and response in the DRC, or to request interviews with officials of the United Nations and its partners in the country. Should you wish to obtain photographs related to the topics that we cover, please click on http://www.rdc-humanitaire.net/gallery to get access to our inter-agency photo library.
We would also be pleased to receive your requests to join our regular media trips, or for individual support in visiting locations in the DRC in order to cover humanitarian topics.
Yours,
Médard
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Médard I. Lobota
Associate Humanitarian Affairs / Liaison Officer
Humanitarian Information Service - HIS
United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs - UNOCHA
Kinshasa/D.R.Congo
Tel. +243 (0) 99 290 66 33 / +243 (0) 81 000 6754
Website: www.rdc-humanitaire.net
Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Weekly Bulletin, 21 February 2011
Produced with the support of the Humanitarian Information Group (HIG)
Headlines
· FARDC Commanding Officer sentenced to 20 years in jail after ordering punitive attacks against civilians in Fizi town, South Kivu.
· Province Orientale: Population movements have increased in Haut Uele due to LRA attacks in the past two months.
· Due to funding shortages, health centres in eastern DRC face serious difficulties obtaining medicine.
· Angola expulsions: US$2.8 million to assist vulnerable populations in Bandundu, Bas Congo and Kasai.
Context
Overall Developments
· The FARDC Commanding Officer whose troops perpetrated mass rape, beat civilians and looted houses on 1 January in Fizi town, South Kivu, was found guilty of crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a military court in Baraka. This first conviction of a commanding officer with three of his officers is welcomed by the humanitarian community as a step to end impunity. This could improve the protection of civilians in eastern DRC. FARDC soldiers committed the crimes during an operation to avenge their colleague’s death.
· The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC approved US$2.8 million from the Pooled Fund for five projects that respond to vulnerable populations’ needs following expulsions of DRC nationals from Angola. These projects, which are still under the Pooled Fund’s technical review, focus on child protection, food security, health and non-food items (NFIs). The selected projects were submitted by CARITAS, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Populations Fund, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the NGO CISP.
Protection of Civilians
· Presumed Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) elements continue to attack civilians in Haut Uele District, Province Orientale. During an attack last week against Faradje in Dungu Territory, a young girl was killed, three youths were kidnapped and nine others are missing. Three people were wounded and several houses looted. People demonstrated against the insecurity caused by the LRA, and international NGOs evacuated staff on 13 February to nearby localities. The situation in Haut Uele is far from being safe. Presumed LRA elements are causing unrest while the Army is saying the security situation is calm.
· Humanitarian organizations are concerned about the increased issues regarding protection of civilians in South Kivu Province, where civilians are systematically forced to carry military effects during the deployment of the national Army’s troops. This increases civilians’ vulnerability, as they have to walk tens of kilometres back to their villages, in an unsafe zone and without food or resources. Even humanitarian organizations, especially NGOs in the field, are occasionally ordered to transport military effects in violation of the neutrality principle. On the Kiseku–Shabunda axis in Shabunda Territory, such requests from FARDC troops are common. In Mwenga Territory, attacks against civilian vehicles have increased. Within three weeks, five convoys were attacked and looted by unknown armed men. This situation drastically limits the free movement of populations, including humanitarian actors. On 14 February, residents of Kamituga village organized demonstrations to request more security on the road between Mwenga and Kamituga.
· Between 27 January and 5 February, at least 15 people were kidnapped in Beni Territory by presumed elements of Ugandan’s armed group ADF/NALU, according to civil society sources in Mayimoya village, North Kivu. All those kidnapped were taken while working in the fields. An unidentified body thought to be of one of those kidnapped was found in a nearby forest. Villagers are worried for the security of others kidnapped. They are also concerned as to whether the situation will affect their food security if their fields are not safe. To reassure the population, a spokesperson from Rwenzori military operation in the zone announced the creation of a special regiment to protect civilians and their belongings.
Population Movements
Internally displaced persons
· In Province Orientale, population movements have increased in Niangara and Dungu territories due to LRA attacks against villages in the past two months. The local Red Cross Committee reported the presence of about 250 internally displaced households in the town of Niangara and its surroundings. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is still unknown in the villages of Gbaga and Ndinaba in Dungu Territory and Mbeleku in Niangara Territory. Humanitarian access to these villages is difficult due to security constraints.
Refugees in DRC
· The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees repatriated 175 Burundian refugees on 8 February and 46 Rwandan refugees on 9 February through Bukavu in South Kivu Province. A total of 470 Rwandan and 398 Burundian refugees have now been repatriated via Bukavu since the beginning of the year. A total of 190 Congolese refugees have been repatriated to South Kivu from Burundi so far in 2011.
Access to beneficiaries
· Due to the bad state of roads, access to vulnerable populations is still limited in Kungu Territory, Equateur Province. It is almost impossible to transport heavy humanitarian assistance to many villages, such as Enyele and Monzaya which were badly affected by intercommunity clashes in late 2009 and early 2010. This situation will have negative effects on humanitarian assistance if the thousands of refugees in the Republic of Congo, mostly from Kungu Territory, start to be repatriated.
Humanitarian Needs and Response
Food Security and Livelihoods
· Malteser International distributed agricultural inputs to 28,000 vulnerable people, including IDPs, returnees and host families, on the Nyalumbemba–Kiseku axis in eastern Shabunda Territory, South Kivu. To boost fish farming in the same zone, Malteser also distributed thousands of fry to residents. Fish farming was previously a very important economic activity in the area, but was badly affected by continuous looting by armed groups. Improvements in the security situation on this axis helped the re-launch of agricultural and fish farming activities. This could improve food security in the region.
· The prohibition of exploiting fishing pools and fauna in Enyele and Monzaya villages (Kungu Territory) in Equateur Province exposes local populations to food insecurity. The provincial authorities’ decision aimed to preserve social peace following last year’s intercommunity clashes between Enyele and Monzaya communities over the use of fishing pools. The NGO Search for Common Ground is working with both communities for a sustainable reconciliation.
Health
· Many health centres in eastern DRC are facing serious difficulties in obtaining supplies of medicines and other useful consumables. This is due to funding constraints following the disengagement of some health actors, as well as logistics and security problems. In Minova health zone in South Kivu, there is a real risk of reduced health cover following the withdrawal of GTZ’s support and the closing of a USAID-backed project implemented by the NGO AXXES. A similar situation has been reported in Ituri District (Province Orientale) where the local head of the extended vaccination programme (PEV) said about 150,000 children are at risk due to the stock outage of vaccines. In Boga in the same district, stock outage of sexual and gender-based violence kits puts victims of sexual violence at risk as they have to travel more than 10kms for treatment. Humanitarians are advocating more financial support as these health structures cannot be self-funded as populations are extremely poor.
Protection
· UNHCR has launched a series of capacity-building training in human rights and leadership for women in South Kivu through the NGO Women for Women International. A total of 550 women started the training last week in two centres in Uvira Territory. A third centre will host the training this week for 250 women. This is part of the UNHCR reintegration programme.
Water and Sanitation
· Only 32 per cent of Masambo village residents in Beni Territory (North Kivu) have access to drinking water, according to an evaluation by Norwegian Refugee Council. The existing water supply system is not working at full capacity and the population has to draw water from unprotected fountainheads. The water shortage is the main cause of the high rate of typhoid in Masambo, according to the area’s reference health centre. Oxfam-GB’s hygiene promotion sensitization activities helped to reduce the number of diarrhoea cases in the zone, but the water supply system should be rehabilitated to improve results. Masambo zone hosts displaced families from northern Beni Territory who are affected by armed group activities. According to the 2011 DRC Humanitarian Action Plan, access to water is decreasing in the DRC as the water supply system is degrading but the population is increasing. Only 47 per cent of the country’s population, estimated at around 65 million, has access to clean drinking water.
Shelter and non-food items
· Last week’s heavy tropical rains in Ituri District destroyed emergency shelters in IDP camps in Boga. Many displaced households with children are homeless and exposed to disease risks. These IDPs fled from northern North Kivu to escape FARDC military operations against the Ugandan rebel group ADF/NALU.
· Following landslides caused by heavy rain in Kautu village near Masisi centre (North Kivu), around 250 displaced households are homeless between Kautu and Nyabiondo villages. They are in serious need of NFI assistance, including clothes and kitchenware. Save The Children, an international NGO, carried out an evaluation on 14 February, but no assistance has yet been provided.
| For more information, please contact: Maurizio Giuliano, Advocacy and Public Information Manager, OCHA DRC, giuliano@un.org, tel. +243-99-5901532 Medard Lobota, Associate Humanitarian Affairs/Liaison Officer, OCHA DRC, lobota@un.org, tel. +243-99-2906633 Sylvestre Ntumba Mudingayi, Assistant Public Information Officer, OCHA DRC, ntumbamudingayi@un.org, tel. +243-99-8845386 |
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I. If you want to receive individual emails
II. Receive one mail with all activity in it
III. Do not want to receive any mail at all
Regards,
Tariq Khattak, Group Manager,
GSM = 0300-9599007 and 0333-9599007
+92-300-9599007 and +92-333-9599007
Tariqgulkhattak@gmail.com
Tariqgulkhattak@hotmail.com
REQUESTS:
1)Please directly contact sender for personal/individual correspondence.
2)Try to discuss issues that will catch attention of many readers.
3)Please avoid sending messages in any language other than English
4)Avoid sending messages addressed to many recipients.
5)Do not send messages aimed at personal publicity.
6)Please do not send personal/other links unless necessary.
7)The Group is not obliged to publish printed news,
very short/long comments and objectionable material.
8)Every mail cannot be published; it will overload Mailboxes
of our valued members.
9)Try to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable, Unsympathetic and/or Unpleasant.
x==x==x==x==x==x
Please note that,
It is a common platform for journalists and all others who are interested in knowing about the issues that are sometimes not reported. This group favours philosophy of progress, reform and the protection of civil liberties. Please share and educate others. The owners and managers of this site do not necessarily agree with any of the information. It is an open forum; everyone is allowed to share anything. Mails sent by members and non-members are subject to approval. However, we are not responsible in any way for the contents of mails / opinion sent by members. We do not guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. (Nor can print and electronic media). If you find content on this site which you feel is inappropriate or inaccurate, incomplete, or useless you are most welcome to report it or contradict it.
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