160,000 Congolese civilians have been displaced by FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) raids since January 2009. This Hutu militia is still active despite a joint operation between Rwandan and DRC forces in February which officially terminated on February 25. The FDLR continue to raid humanitarian convoys and rape and kill civilians.  There are currently one million internally displaced civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 18,000 of which are being assisted at the refugee camps in Kibat, recently visited by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. Here, he met victims of war and human rights abuses such as rape.

Around 40,000 refugees have left the DRC for neighbouring Uganda, while others are fleeing from the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) to Southern Sudan. International assistance is limited here due to the expulsion of many NGOs on March 5. This was in response to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for the President Omar Al-Bashir for human rights abuses in Darfur.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been ravaged by conflict in recent years. According to a report published in January by the International Rescue Committee, 5.4 million people have died due to war related deaths in the region since 1998 even though hostilities officially ceased 5 years ago. The ongoing hostilities and accompanying humanitarian crisis is leaving a further 45,000 people dead every month. The majority of these deaths are due to preventable problems such as diarrhoea, malnutrition and malaria. There has been a recent improvement in living standards but this is threatened by the resurgence of violence in North Kivu. The DRC’s mortality rate is 60% higher than the sub-Saharan average.

However, there are some indications that the humanitarian situation is improving. For example, the MONUC (United Nations Mission in Congo) has demobilised 880 children recruited as soldiers during recent hostilities in North Kivu. The majority of the minors were Congolese although there were some Burundians, Rwandans and Ugandans. Thirty one of them were girls. They have been handed over to NGOs for reintegration with their families and communities.