DR Congo: Emergency Relief Coordinator visits IDP camp, demobilized militia in Katanga

(Lubumbashi, Kinshasa and New York: 6 September 2006): United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland arrived this morning in Katanga, the southernmost province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On the second day of his eight-day, three nation mission to Africa, Mr. Egeland visited Kankonona camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near the town of Pweto. Also in Pweto, Mr. Egeland met with a group of former Mayi-Mayi, led by Fidèle Ntumbi, who voluntarily disarmed two weeks ago, as well as with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the region.

Mr. Egeland's visit to the isolated Kankonona camp underscored the logistical difficulties faced by humanitarian organizations every day. Four primary IDP camps are located in the area: Kankonona camp shelters 10,000 IDPs; a camp on Lake Upemba some 35,000; a camp at Mitwaba an additional 25,000; and a camp at Dubié, a further 16,000. All are difficult to access and provide assistance and living conditions for the IDPs remain difficult, with high levels of malnutrition and mortality recorded.

In Katanga as a whole, there are an estimated 150,000 IDPs, most of whom fled their homes due to fighting between Government forces and the Mayi-Mayi militia. However, in recent weeks, progress has been recorded on the disarmament front, due in large part to the instrumental role played by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), which has allowed for some initial returns of those displaced. Additional support for the returns process is now needed.

Throughout his meetings with the IDPs and the demobilized Mayi-Mayi militia, both groups stressed their desire to return home, as well as their need for additional support to do so.

In the evening, Mr. Egeland traveled to the provincial capital of Lubumbashi, and is expected to meet with representatives of the provincial government, United Nations agencies and NGOs working in Katanga tomorrow morning. He is then expected to continue to Bukavu in South Kivu province, where he will visit the Panzi clinic, which specializes in treating victims of sexual violence. He is also expected to meet with provincial authorities, representatives of the United Nations agencies and NGOs working in the region.

In addition to Katanga and South Kivu, Mr. Egeland's mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to include a stop in Bunia province, before continuing on to Uganda and Juba, Sudan.

During a meeting yesterday with President Joseph Kabila, the Emergency Relief Coordinator stressed the need to expand humanitarian and development operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He recalled that $38 million had been allocated for the country from the new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to date. He also underscored the need to fight impunity, particularly with regard to the violence that has been inflicted upon the civilian population and the sexual abuse perpetrated against women and children.

For further information, please call: Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.