Human rights violations, hunger on the rise in eastern DR of Congo - UN

Murder and rape are increasing in the war-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and children are slowly dying of starvation, with nearly two-thirds of the population estimated to suffer from food shortages, United Nations officials reported today even as the Security Council was being briefed on the latest peacekeeping efforts.

The UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said the number of cases of human rights violation was increasing in Bunia in the Ituri region, epicentre of recent clashes between Hema and Lendu ethnic militias that killed hundreds and drove thousands from their homes.

Systematic arbitrary killings, rape and kidnapping by the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) rebels heightened the tensions and induced the most targeted communities to seek shelter again at the camp for internally displaced persons at the local MONUC compound. MONUC said that from 8 to 15 June there were kidnappings and killings every night. More than 50 people have disappeared and so far only five returned alive.

Against this backdrop of brutal ethnic clashes and military rebellions, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) today launched an emergency appeal for $38 million to feed nearly half a million people in the eastern regions. The 46,000 tons of food required for the six-month period is targeted at the 483,000 most vulnerable.

"We saw wards filled with emaciated babies and young children with distended stomachs, stick-like limbs and whose hair had turned yellow," WFP's Country Director, Felix Bamezon, said of a recent visit to a hospital in Walungu, South Kivu. "These children are slowly dying of starvation. We cannot simply stand by and let it happen."

At least 64 per cent of the population in eastern DRC is estimated to suffer from food shortages, according to a recent survey by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The armed conflict of the last five years has had a catastrophic effect on civilians in the region. Millions have been displaced, leaving behind all their belongings. In many areas agricultural production has been brought to a standstill.

The crisis has been further aggravated over the past month by the fresh fighting in Bunia. Up to 300,000 people are reported to have been displaced and 60,000 have arrived in and around Beni, 400 kilometres to the south.

Donor response has so far been good and WFP's countrywide operation is 90 per cent funded, provided all pledges are honoured. "But this latest influx of displaced people is having a serious impact on our ability to meet the huge requirements," Mr. Bamezon said. "And there is always a time lag between pledges and actually receiving the funds."