UN relief official sees security improvement in crisis-ridden eastern DR of Congo

The United Nations coordinator of humanitarian aid arrived in the town of Baraka in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo to greetings from a huge crowd, a sign that security has improved significantly in the area, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Under-Secretary-General Jan Egeland was able to visit Mutambala Bridge, which used to be the front line between the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie (RCD-Goma) and Mayi-Mayi militia during prolonged fighting. A water and sanitation supervisor and 10 water committee workers were abducted and killed in the area earlier this year.

At the bridge, the two sides promised full freedom of movement for the civilian population and said they were pleased with their reconciliation.

The DRC's eastern region is the location of the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 3.5 million people having been displaced and thousands of girls and women having suffered torture and violation.

The visit to Baraka is part of Mr. Egeland's broader goals of increasing the humanitarian access to and presence in previously difficult to reach areas of the Great Lakes region, OCHA said.

He was scheduled to go to Goma, a town of 400,000, later today and to Bunia in Ituri district tomorrow.