Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – There are nearly 900 people dead and over 700 kidnapped by Ugandan rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), since a series of attacks that began at Christmas and have continued through January (see Fides 9-14/1/2009). This is what was revealed in a statement sent to Agenzia Fides from Caritas Internationalis, in which they ask the government in Kinshasa to guarantee security in the northern part of the country and to protect inhabitants of the area being attacked by rebel forces.
The insecurity being caused by the LRA is also blocking the humanitarian agencies' access to the area.
“Caritas is requesting protection for the humanitarian aid organizations in order to provide assistance to the victims of the violence that has occurred in the past months,” said Bruno Miteyo, National Director of Caritas Congo.
Caritas has sent assessment teams into Dungu and Doruma, where there are cases of rape and trauma. Nearly 25,000 people have been left without homes in Doruma and Gangala, while hundreds more are living as refugees in Ngilima, Li-maggio, and Bangadi.
The presence of the LRA guerrillas in Doruma has made sending aid extremely dangerous and has limited access to those in need.
Caritas is working to extend the landing strip in Doruma, in order to land directly with planes full of aid materials and hopes to organize a convoy as soon as possible to distribute the aid. In this manner, the Catholic humanitarian group intends to help 60,000 people who have been victims of the Ugandan rebel attacks. Last week, Caritas distribute non-food items such as clothes, kitchen utensils, and hygiene products, to over 6,000 people in Mbengu and Iveka.
The population depends almost entirely on humanitarian aid, as going into the fields in search of food places them at risk for being attacked by rebels. Caritas has mentioned the discovery of the bodies of two women who seem to have been sexually abused in a field near Doruma, where they had gone in search of food. In Doruma, there is also a lack of water, as the area has very few natural sources of drinking water.
The LRA, active since 1986 in northern Uganda, in recent years has intensified its attacks in the area of the borders with South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the DRC, home to their headquarters in the Garamba Forest, which was attacked in December by a joint military operation of troops from Uganda, South Sudan, and Congo (see Fides 15/12/2008). The attack does not seem to have been a successful blow to the LRA, however it seems that it has contributed to deepening the rifts of division within their own leadership, which is wanted for international crimes by the International Crime Court. According to the local press, the LRA's “number two,” Okot Odhiambo was trying to offer surrender in exchange for freedom. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 30/1/2009)
