Renewed violence in eastern DR of Congo threatens relief operations - UN

The targeting of humanitarian organizations in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by armed militias, including violent attacks and looting, could cause serious disruption of relief operations, according to the latest update by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The district of Ituri, scene of intense fighting between several militias last year where some 50,000 people have been killed and half a million uprooted from their homes, has witnessed “a worrying and continuous increase of activity” from different armed groups for several weeks now, OCHA reported.

“The disarmament or integration of armed group elements in the army is paramount to a return to a peaceful situation in Ituri,” but the opposition of some militias to the Disarmament and Community Reintegration plan (DCR) is “fostering a climate of terror,” it said.

Shooting between militias and the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) is becoming a common event, it added. The fighters who do want to disarm are being killed or molested if they attempt to go to the transit sites. The local humanitarian personnel working in the sites are also accused of treason and are being threatened.

Due to the insecurity, humanitarian organizations have been strongly advised to avoid the northern axes of Bunia, the main town in Ituri. Two international non-government organizations (NGOs) have already suspended their activities following violent attacks by militia on the roads north and south of Bunia. For others, harassment from armed men has directly affected the progress of their program.

Some organizations have similarly been subjected to the temporary confiscation of their vehicles, refused access to vulnerable people or had their humanitarian aid pillaged. Evaluation and assistance missions have been cancelled. A growing number of exactions are also being committed against local NGOs and their personnel.

OCHA said “other reprehensible acts” were aimed specifically against MONUC, its local personnel or the local humanitarian workers involved in the implementation of DCR.

“Ituri is experiencing a renewed cycle of violence in the middle of which are caught civilian populations and those who are attempting to support them,” the Office added. “The continuation of assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by conflicts will depend on the capacity of the humanitarian actors to maintain their presence in that area.”