DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Hundreds of displaced people near the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo receive emergency food aid from the United Nations World Food Programme

Record ID: 862991

  • Title: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Hundreds of displaced people near the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo receive emergency food aid from the United Nations World Food Programme
  • Date: 31st July 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PEOPLE
  • Embargoed: 15th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
  • City:
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVABKS35SD8ZXCX4NI9JZCE63BYP
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Clashes between Congolese rebels and government forces have forced thousands of civilians to flee their villages in the east of the country towards the provincial capital Goma. Thousands more sought refuge in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda.
    For those who crossed the borders, food aid was easily available and aid agencies were able to help them. However, those who remained displaced within the country had nothing to eat and aid agencies could not reach them because of the fighting.
    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) only recently managed to get to the displaced people for the first time and provide emergency food aid consisting of high energy biscuits.
    Guy Adoua, the WFP deputy head in eastern Congo, said the U.N. agency tried to provide food aid as soon as they became aware of the population movement.

    "The response of the WFP is to bring emergency assistance urgently. It has been like this since last week, as soon as we heard about movement of population towards Kibati we deployed our teams here in order to do distribution of biscuits, you can see here and what you see on the ground is the WFP assistance," he said on Tuesday (July 31).
    Displaced people in the camp said they had gone without food for a week.

    "I am happy because I got food, I have done a week without eating and now I am happy because I have enough for today," said one man, Atekega Tekeju.

    "I am very grateful as I received some aid, I have gone a week without food and it is the first assistance I am receiving, it is really well done but it is not enough, you must continue to help us," said a woman, Bukima Ndirivamunda.
    Fighting between the Congolese government and the rebels has displaced 470,000 people since April.
    The Ugandan capital Kampala is scheduled to host regional leaders between Aug. 5-8 to discuss the conflict after an interim report by the U.N.'s panel of experts accused Rwanda of backing the rebels.
    Kigali has strenuously denied this, and in turn accused the international community of using Rwanda as a scapegoat for the chaos in eastern Congo.
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