OCHA/ICVA mission to Central Katanga, DR Congo, 15-18 Mar 2006

Participants: Mark Cutts (OCHA Geneva), Tom Delrue (OCHA Geneva), Manisha Thomas (ICVA Geneva), Jacques Ajaruvwa (OCHA Kinshasa), Gerson Brandao (OCHA Lubumbashi). The mission was also accompanied by journalists from BBC World Service, Reuters and Time Magazine.
Summary of Findings and Recommendations

The national and international response to the evolving humanitarian crisis in the Congolese province of Katanga remains woefully inadequate.

Over 150,000 people are known to have fled their homes in Katanga in the last six months as a result of fighting between Congolese army troops and Mai Mai rebels. Many others remain trapped or hidden in remote and inaccessible locations, making it likely that the actual figure is much higher than 150,000. Many of these people are living in appalling conditions with alarmingly high malnutrition and mortality rates.

In January Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) gave an informal briefing to the UN Security Council describing central Katanga as "perhaps the most forgotten crisis in a country beleaguered by several under-reported humanitarian emergencies". On this and on numerous other occasions, MSF has called on UN agencies and NGOs to assist in responding to the crisis. The Humanitarian Coordinator and OCHA have also urged UN agencies and NGOs to expand their presence in the region. In spite of these repeated requests for help, MSF remains the only international humanitarian actor on the ground in both Mitwaba and Dubie.

The OCHA/ICVA mission visited three sites in Katanga: Mitwaba, Malemba Nkulu and Dubie. Of the three sites visited, the mission found the most alarming situation in Dubie, where 16,000 displaced people are now living in three over-crowded camps. In one of the camps where 9,000 people are living, MSF reports that 10-20 people are dying every week of malnutrition-related diseases. Because of the lack of food, and in spite of its repeated warnings and requests for help, MSF reports that over the last few months malnutrition rates in these camps have been getting worse, not better.

In Dubie, apart from MSF feeding programmes for the severely malnourished, the only food distribution for the displaced was at the end of January, when they received from WFP enough food to last for 14 days. This was theoretically a "half ration", issued on the understanding that people can supplement it by other means. In Dubie, however, MSF insists that the displaced have little opportunity to supplement this. Most of them arrived in November and December. The fact that only 14 days of food has been distributed in four months is evident in the camps, where we could see for ourselves that people are now eating little other than manioc skins - usually thrown away or fed to the pigs. Malnutrion is rife and every day more people die.

Apart from the severe food shortage, protection is a major concern. In both Dubie and Mitwaba we witnessed traumatized displaced populations - victims of repeated abuse by both the Mai Mai and Congolese army (FARDC) troops. A number of those interviewed spoke of horrific atrocities committed by the Mai Mai. Now many of them are being victimized again, this time by the Congolese army. In Dubie a number of women in the camps complained that their husbands or sons had been taken by the FARDC since they arrived, and had not been heard of since. They reported numerous abuses by FARDC troops, including rape, beatings, extortion, theft of food or plastic sheeting, and being forced to walk long distances carrying supplies for the army. In Mitwaba, repeated reports of abuse by FARDC troops led MONUC a few weeks ago to formally request the removal of the 63rd Brigade based there.

In Lubumbashi, the mission met with the Officer-in Charge of the FARDC's 6eme Region Militaire, Colonel Ngizo Siatilo, to discuss the security situation in these camps. Colonel Ngizo informed the mission that the 63rd Brigade will be withdrawn and that it will not be replaced. He said it should be leaving by 25 March and that on its withdrawal it has been given orders to conduct a ratissage ("mopping-up") operation between Mitwaba and Likasi, covering 25 km on either side of the road. Previous experience would indicate that if this goes ahead, clashes with the Mai Mai may lead to more looting and burning of villages, resulting in yet more large-scale displacement of civilians.

In Malemba Nkulu, the mission found the situation in the town itself to be calm, but heard repeated reports of recently displaced people living in desperate conditions in some of the more remote and inaccessible areas on the other side of the river. South of Malemba Nkulu, we flew over the marshlands and the small "floating islands" on Lake Upemba, where hundreds of displaced people have taken refuge. MSF is reaching many of these people through its mobile clinics, but many others remain trapped or hidden.

The mission was extremely impressed by the work being done by the three NGOs that are on the ground responding to the humanitarian crises in the places visited: MSF-Belgium in Mitwaba, MSF-Holland in Dubie, and ACF in Malemba Nkulu. At the same time, the mission was struck by the fact that so little has so far been done to assist these NGOs in meeting some of the most urgent humanitarian needs in the places. In Mitwaba and Dubie, despite its impressive medical and nutritional programmes, MSF has found itself totally overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis and has been pleading with other NGOs and UN agencies to assist. MSF's statement to the UN Security Council in January was clear: "We are far too alone, and other national and international aid organizations must urgently mobilize in order to meet people's ever-increasing needs".

The mission urges UN agencies and all humanitarian organizations to respond urgently to the humanitarian crisis in central Katanga, and particularly in Mitwaba and Dubie. In particular, the mission urges the newly designated Cluster Leads in the DRC to assume their responsibilities in this regard - particularly WFP/FAO for Food Security and UNHCR for Protection. The mission also urges donors to move quickly to make the necessary funding available for this evolving humanitarian emergency. Finally, OCHA urges MONUC to deploy troops and civilian personnel to central Katanga - including Mitwaba and Dubie - to help stabilize the situation and prevent further abuses of the civilian population by both Mai Mai rebels and FARDC troops.

Recommendations

1. Food Security

As joint Cluster Leads for Food Security, WFP and FAO should take the lead in organizing a rapid response to the critical food shortages in Dubie, Mitwaba and other parts of central Katanga. Priority should be given to Dubie, where the food shortage is most serious. Because of the critical situation here, WFP should urgently revise its policy of distributing only half rations. WFP should also ensure appropriate monitoring/supervision during food distributions. In addition, planning should begin now to ensure that seeds and tools are provided before the next planting season. If necessary, the Pooled Fund should be used to cover costs of transport or local purchase of food.

2. Protection

As Cluster Lead for Protection, UNHCR should take the lead in ensuring the deployment of appropriate UN and NGO staff to help monitor and follow up on protection needs in Katanga, particularly amongst the 150,000 newly displaced people. As a first step, the mission recommends that UNHCR ensure the deployment of experienced protection staff to both Mitwaba and Dubie.

3. Responsibilities of Cluster Leads

In addition to the clusters mentioned above, all Cluster Leads in the DRC should be requested by the Humanitarian Coordinator to urgently consider ways of strengthening the humanitarian response in Katanga.

4. UN presence

The mission recommends that the UN immediately open antenna offices in both Mitwaba and Dubie. The purpose of these offices would be (1) to liaise with local authorities and the military to better protect the civilian population; (2) to provide administrative/logistical support to UN agencies and NGOs that deploy to these places; (3) to further assess needs, not only in Mitwaba and Dubie but also in the surrounding areas; and (4) to advocate and help mobilize the necessary resources. The mission recommends that OCHA take the lead in establishing these antenna offices, ensuring that they are each provided with a vehicle and the necessary telecommunications equipment.

5. MONUC presence

OCHA recommends that MONUC immediately establish a presence in Mitwaba, in line with recommendations made earlier in the year. OCHA also recommends that MONUC establish a presence in Dubie. If MONUC is unable to establish a permanent presence in these places, OCHA recommends that it immediately initiate regular patrols to these places, by helicopter.

6. Transitional Government

The mission urges all humanitarian actors in the DRC and donors to continue stressing to the Transitional Government that it has primary responsibility for meeting the protection and assistance needs of displaced people and other Congolese citizens. OCHA has already launched a robust advocacy campaign calling on the Transitional Government to take more responsibility for protecting the civilian population in central Katanga, and UN agencies and other humanitarian actors should build on this. In particular, the Transitional Government must be constantly reminded of its responsibility to prevent human rights abuses against civilians by its own FARDC troops.

Mark Cutts
OCHA Geneva