Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – Caritas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (“Caritas-Développement Congo”) is working in the frontline to help thousands of refugees from the two crisis that are now afflicting the eastern part of the country.
In the eastern province, in the northeastern region of DRC, there are the attacks carried out by Ugandan rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who have established their base in the area and have forced thousands of Congolese to flee their homes. In March, the Ugandan guerrillas intensified their attacks on Congolese civilians following the joint military offensive attack conducted by troops from Uganda, DRC, and South Sudan on the main LRA bases in the forests of Garamba (Congo) (see Fides 30/1/2009 and 26/2/2009). The second crisis is that of North Kivu, as in February there was also a joint operation conducted by troops from Rwanda and the DRC against the Rwandan Hutu rebels, who have been taking refuge in the area since 1994. In this case as well, the guerrillas managed to reorganize themselves and are taking their vengeance on the innocent civilians. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated over 100,000 citizens of North Kivu have had to flee their homes because of the attacks (see Fides 27/4/2009).
Caritas is present in both these areas. According to the Catholic news agency “Dia” of Kinshasa, as of late April, “Caritas-Développement Congo” and the Diocese of Bondo has distributed emergency aid to 750 refugee families (about 4,500 people) in the city of Dakwa and the area surrounding the Eastern Province.
According to Caritas information services, the families who have fled since March as a result of LRA attacks have not received food aid (including blankets, kitchenware, and items of personal hygiene) thanks to financial aid from Caritas of Germany.
The distribution of the aid was carried out amidst fairly difficult circumstances (impassible roadways and without mass media), however it has helped meet the needs of the people affected by the LRA violence. All those who received the aid, the families and the administrators, thanked Caritas-Développement Congo and the Catholic Church in the person of Bishop Ung'Eyowun of Bondo.
In Kivu, Caritas sent food aid to be distributed by the WFP (the UN World Food Program) to over 46,000 families (some 230,000 people) from various towns south of Lubero. The distribution was carried out by a team from Caritas of Goma and of Butembo-Beni, in Kanyabayonga, and Kayna, towns located at 157 and 174 km to the north of Goma (capital of North Kivu) respectively. Each family received a complete month's worth of rations, including 60kg of corn flour, 18kg of beans, 5 kg of vegetable oil, and .75 kg of salt. Caritas of Goma is also working on the distribution of food aid offered by the WFP in five refugee camps on the outskirts of Goma. (LM) (7/5/2009)
