ERC meets Congolese victims of LRA attacks and calls for increased humanitarian assistance and improved protection of civilians

(New York, 9 February 2009): On the third day of his visit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, went to Doruma town in Orientale Province to meet victims of the recent attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army, and investigate how to improve response. The trauma of the attacks was still very much visible in the faces of the population of Doruma, a small border town seven kilometers from Sudan. The Christmas massacres of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) triggered a wave of displacement from the villages around Doruma, tripling the population to 18,000. Attacks in this area left 364 dead with many more unaccounted for. LRA related deaths in Orientale province are believed to have exceeded 850 since Christmas.

Angry and traumatized survivors from some 22 villages in a 50 km radius of Doruma presented their concerns and needs to Mr. Holmes. In addition to asking for help with shelter, food and medicine, survivors called on international and judicial authorities to ensure the arrest of LRA leader Joseph Kony. "The level of casual brutality, the callous disregard for life and the treatment of women and children in particular are truly horrifying," said Mr. Holmes. "The villagers have suffered dreadfully at the hands of the LRA." UN agencies and partners are working with the local authorities, the military forces in the area, and the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUC, to expand humanitarian assistance and step up efforts to protect the local population. These efforts are constrained by the huge area where the LRA is operating, the difficult terrain and isolated locations, poor communications, and the threat still posed by the LRA, including on major roads.

In meetings with commanders of the Forces Armées du République Democratique de Congo (FARDC) and the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force, who are undertaking joint DRC-Ugandan military operations against the LRA, Mr. Holmes emphasized the importance of placing the need to protect civilians at the center of their planning and operations, and of better communication about the risks to civilians and humanitarians.

Mr. Holmes also spoke of the responsibility of the LRA leadership and of each LRA combatant. "For those within the LRA who feel sickened by the raping, injury and murder of civilians, I urge you to lay down your arms. These innocent people have nothing to do with you and have done nothing to hurt you. The burden of the crimes of the LRA should not grow heavier."

The LRA has been present in the area around Duru (95 km north of Dungu town) in the district of Haut Uele since 2005, but had mostly refrained from attacks on civilians, particularly while the peace talks continued. However, between December 2007 and August 2008, LRA rebels committed grave attacks on populations in DRC, CAR and South Sudan, including killings, pillaging, rapes, and abductions of adults and children. On 14 December 2008, the governments of DRC, Sudan and Uganda launched joint military operations against the LRA in Haut Uele.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader, OCHA-New York, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 311y, reader@un.org; Elisabeth Byrs OCHA-Geneva,+41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int

For more information about CERF, please see http://cerf.un.org