Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Weekly Report, 23 October 2009

Headlines • Seven incidents involving humanitarian workers were registered in North Kivu. • Fighting in southern caused displacements of people towards Maniema province. • The protection of civilians continues to concern humanitarian actors in several areas of the country.

Overall Developments

Protection of Civilians • The protection of civilians remains a concern in North Kivu. Atrocities were reported in virtually all areas of the province. Some 127 houses were burned and looted in Buinga, Malolo and Muhangi. Illegal taxes and extortion of property held in the territory of Rutshuru were reported as well.

Humanitarian Access • The majority of the displaced have received assistance, despite access restrictions due to security conditions. However, many others displaced remain inaccessible. In the Eastern Province, in the districts of Lower and Upper Uele-Uele there are now 280,892 displaced persons, of which 232,952 were displaced in High-Uele and 47,940 in Bas-Uele. From December 2008 to date, some 1,256 people were killed following LRA attacks. A total of 643 children and 1,018 adults were abducted during the same period. • The humanitarian community in North Kivu is concerned about the increasing numbers of incidents involving humanitarian actors. During the last week, seven incidents were reported. They range from the requisition of vehicles by FARDC soldiers in Chengerero, Rutshuru territory, for transporting of military effects to robberies of NGOs offices in Mweso. In Masisi, attacks on vehicles have resulted in theft, including money from an NGO. Between early January and 15 October 2009, 108 incidents were recorded against humanitarian workers. These incidents complicate access to vulnerable people.

Population Movements • In Katanga, the thirty-fourth convoy of voluntary repatriation took 454 persons (135 families) from Zambia to Moba on October 13. A total of 13,825 Congolese refugees have now been repatriated from Zambia. • In in Kalehe territory, South Kivu, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has startec registering IDPs who wish to return to their places of origin. Of the 2,603 families displaced in the camps in Minova, 998 have signed up for the return to their village of origin. The registration exercise continues. Many displaced families are still staying with host families. • Following clashes in Maniema Province, Salamabila had began to receive the first wave of IDPs in early August from Lwiko Kabeya, Makoko Mayembe, Penemende in the communities of Babuyu (Kabambare) and Kayumba Katupu, Kilembwe, Misisi. They are installed in Camps Central, Embemoya, Kaselebele, Machapano, Matete, Matongo, Mulanda, Namoya (Salamabila), Sous-marin and Tukutuku. In Salamabila there are 3,998 displaced people, including 710 men, 505 women and 2,783 children, representing nearly 666 displaced households. This figure is underestimated because the registration ended on 24 September, after which there were additional waves of displaced people following clashes on 1 October and 6 October. • In North Kivu, an evaluation mission composed of representative from the National Commission for Refugees (CNR) and UNHCR visited the territory of Masisi on-axis Kilolirwe Kitchanga-Bishusha-Bwiza to ascertain the status of spontaneous returnees from . It was observed that people who were in refugee camps in Rwanda have returned in small groups since the beginning of this year. However, the majority of people who have returned to Congo did so between 2002 and 2006. At that time, authorities in the province of North Kivu, which was under RCD, had sensitized Congolese refugees to return to their countries, mainly in the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru. This awareness continued into 2007 and 2008.

Humanitarian Needs and Response

Education In Katanga, as part of reintegration activities for IDPs, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is constructing a building consisting of six classrooms, gates for seven latrines and a two-room office for management staff. The construction began in May 2009 for completion in September this year. The keys of the primary school in Kirungu were delivered to the administrator of the territory in the presence of local authorities; the community; and United Nations agencies including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Mission of the United Nations in DRC (MONUC), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), together with their partners. The administrator after handed the keys to the head of primary and secondary schools in Moba. Two training centres are under construction in Katanga. Vocational training which began in July 2009, is delivered to 100 heads of family. The courses are in carpentry, masonry (for men), cutting and sewing, saponification, baking and cooking classes (for women). Out of 20 micro-projects, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has already selected 13. Ten of these are already running. These are mainly small shops, bakeries, bicycle-repair training. These projects are operated through the assistance of UNHCR. Following the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Katanga, humanitarian activities have been reduced so that more resources can be dedicated to rehabilitation activities.

Mine The NGO Mine Advisory Group (MAG) has completed a 10-day mission in several areas around Pweto in the district of Haut-Katanga. Approximately 130 unexploded ordnance and landmines have been removed and destroyed. A landmine-awareness campaign is also being conducted. The last incident took place on 27 August at Musosa, 120 km from Pweto, where a seven-year-old girl of seven was wounded through unexploded ordnance.

Food Security and Livelihoods • In North Kivu, between 6 October and 14 October, WFP provided food rations for 30 days to 36,200 people returning to Masisi and Rutshuru territories. Regarding “food-for work” programmes, WFP currently provides food to more than 800 people, including 400 women who are involved in rehabilitating 30km of rural roads linking Tongo and Bishusha and Kabizo and Mushabashi. This will allow access to many villages in the region. • Regarding agriculture gardening in Katanga, GTZ assists 33 groups consisting of 610 heads of families by giving them agricultural inputs and tools. Currently these groups are in harvest season.

Health and Nutrition In Katanga province, where sexual violence is frequently reported, the NGO Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) identified 272 victims of sexual violence during September 2009. This figure includes old and new cases. All victims have received psychosocial support and approximately 165 victims have also received medical treatment. Under the fistula repair programme funded by the Pooled Fund, with support from the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), 51 victims had operations in the Kirungu-Moba general hospital in September 2009. Several cases of sexual violence were registered throughout the DRC, especially in the east.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs) In Maniema Province, the Salamabila locality currently hosts more than 4,000 IDPs fleeing conflict in the Kabambare territory and the southern part of South Kivu. These people need food, medical care, shelter and NFIs. They are currently staying mostly with host families without real livelihoods. Approximately 60 percent of the displaced are children. A humanitarian mission visited the site and made recommendations for displaced persons’ care. In Katanga, GTZ implements multisectoral activities aimed at accompanying returnees to sustainable reintegration in Moba and Pweto. A total of 172 shelters were under construction, of which 66 were delivered on 12 October in Kala, Kakera, Kasenga Kinkalata, Kirungu, Kumbula, Mulonda and Mwanza.

For more information, please contact: Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information and Advocacy Manager, OCHA DRC, [email protected], tel. +243-81-9889195 Sylvestre Ntumba Mudingayi, Associate Public Information Officer, OCHA DRC, [email protected] tel. +243-99-8845386 Stefania Trassari, Associate Public Information Officer, OCHA DRC, [email protected], tel. +243-99-2906637