Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service)- Humanitarian agencies are alarmed at the situaion in Democratic Congo where recent fighting caused at least 85,000 people to seek shelter elsewhere and in many cases in in Rwanda and Burundi (see Fides 26 June 2004). Burundi, which already has 34,000 Congolese refugees, has said it will be unable to cope with another flow of refugees should war start again in Congo.
According to UNHCR, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, since the beginning of July each day between 100 and 200 Congolese refugees in Burundi have been returning home. Most of these people had found makeshit shelters on the outskirts of camps along the border with Burundi, where 34,000 refugees fled in early June. The returnees are mainly women who leave their families in Burundi while they go to see the situation in their villages. The women then go back to Burundi to plan the return of the whole family. Some of the returnees are students anxious to sit for end of year exams.
According to Jan Egeland, head of UN emergency aid operations, in Congo 3.3 million people out of humanitarian agencies’ range of action are in need of assistance. There are many cases of sacking of NGO goods depots which lead humanitarian workers to stop their activity in high danger areas. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/7/2004 righe 24 parole 280)
