Democratic Republic of Congo Briefed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki

Author: Lawrence Gist

Lawrence Gist is an Examiner from Los Angeles. You can see Lawrence's articles on Lawrence's Home Page.

The following statement attributable to the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon concerning the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo was made during the regularly scheduled press briefing.

Concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, civilians continue to flee fighting in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). UNHCR now estimates that 56,000 civilians have been displaced since 12 July. The agency says they are running from a Government military campaign against Rwandan rebels and allied groups. It had last week placed at 30,000 the number of civilians displaced by the military operation in the Ruzizi plain, near the border with Burundi.

UNHCR also reports that rebel attacks on civilians have continued despite the Government’s military presence, most recently on 29 July, when the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebels looted homes in a village whose only hospital was also ransacked. The widespread insecurity, UNHCR notes, is hampering the provision of humanitarian aid to those in need.