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DR Congo

On visit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN humanitarian chief urges attention to risks for civilians

On the first day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, today travelled to the eastern North Kivu province. He met internally displaced families at the Kibati IDP camp near the regional capital Goma, and urged that promises of protection of civilians be realized.

Noting that there are still over 800,000 IDPs in North Kivu, Mr Holmes said that recent returns were "a sign for cautious optimism after the horrific violence of recent months, and indeed years; but the risks to civilians still remain high, including from the current operations against the FDLR. Many more displaced people in North Kivu desperately want to return to their homes, but are understandably worried that their security cannot yet be assured. They also need help to re-establish their lives; which we can help provide as soon as the conditions for return are there."

At Kibati, 12km north of Goma, Mr. Holmes met representatives of 15,000 IDPs, who at the height of the latest hostilities had been living on the frontlines of clashes between the national army and the Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) rebel group. He saw first hand the proximity of the camp to the areas where heavy fighting had occurred, and spoke with those whose lives had been changed by the violence. The IDP representatives presented Mr. Holmes with a letter detailing their concerns about living conditions and insufficient food rations, and spoke of their risks to return to their homes, once the situation was sufficiently calm, but their need for security, shelter, seeds and tools to enable them to resettle in their villages.

Following a meeting with the local authorities, Mr. Holmes emphasised the importance of all parties to the conflict taking their responsibilities seriously in protecting civilians. "All who have been involved in the conflict must do much more to demonstrate that they are taking their responsibilities to protect civilians seriously. IDPs will only go home when they are sure that they and their families will be safe." He also reiterated that, in line with its recently strengthened mandate, MONUC must uphold its responsibility to protect civilians.

Mr. Holmes travels Sunday to Masisi, where he will meet people who are already on the move in the wake of the Joint DRC / Rwandan military operations against the Forces Democratiques de la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR). He will then fly on to Bunia in the district of Ituri where he will meet humanitarian actors and MONUC representatives in preparation for his visit to the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) affected areas in Haut Uele.

For further information, please call:

Christophe Illemassene, OCHA-DRC, +243 8198 89195, illemassene@un.org,
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 3117, 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 http://www.reliefweb.int.

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