Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Weekly Bulletin, 05 February 2010

Headlines • Abductions of IDPs by belligerent parties, for the purpose of forced labour, continue in • An estimated 160 women were raped per week in the Kivu provinces during 2009 • The southern part of the (North Kivu) is among those most affected by human rights abuses • Attacks by the LRA continue in several areas of the Orientale Province, leading to killings and abductions • A strike of primary school teacher continues in , and humanitarians are working to address the situation

Overall Developments

Protection of Civilians • Cases of abduction of IDPs by members of the belligerent parties, for the purpose of forced labour, continue to be reported in several areas of North Kivu. Men often spend the day away from the sites for fear of being abducted, but most abductions occur during the night. The Territory, home to an estimated 129,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), is among those most affected by this phenomenon. • The southern part of the Walikale Territory of North Kivu continues to be among those most affected by human rights abuses committed by the Rwandan armed opposition group Forces démocratiques pour la libération du (FDLR). In the latest known incident, on 28 January, FDLR elements have attacked 13 civilians in the village of Isuka, stole their goods, and have then abducted seven of them in order to transport the stolen goods. These seven people have not yet been released. • In the Orientale Province, attacks against civilians by the Ugandan armed opposition group Lord’s Resistance Army continue with significant intensity. On 27 January, two children have been abducted in Zandi (6 km north of Niangara), while an attack on the same night in Limayi (25 km north of Dungu) left one person dead, and five homes burnt. • Following armed violence in Zunguluka (Ituri District, Orientale Province) two weeks ago, the NGO Solidarités has conducted multi-sector evaluations in the areas of the Irumu Territory to where civilians from Zunguluka were displaced. Protection incidents were reported, including seven cases of murder, four cases of rape, and 24 cases of children forcibly associated with armed forces and groups. The latter have been separated from such forces and groups by Save the Children – United Kingdom (SC-UK), with the support of the national authorities. • Figures releases by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) indicated that an estimated 8,300 women were raped in the Kivu provinces during 2009 — an average of approximately 160 women raped per week.

Population Movements • In the Territory of North Kivu, approximately 15,500 people have reportedly been displaced due to insecurity on the axis Malembe / Malemo, in the Walikale Territory, and have reached several IDP sites in the Kitchanga area in the . They have significant needs in terms of food and non-food items, and humanitarians are planning a response. • Approximately 4,000 IDP households in Walikale (North Kivu), recently arrived from Lubutu and other areas, are currently in need of urgent assistance, especially in terms of food and NFIs. The relevant clusters are devising a response to their needs.

Access to beneficiaries • In the Sake locality of the , 27 km north-east of North Kivu’s provincial capital , local demonstrations since 01 February inhibited the passage to humanitarians during the week. This had adverse affects for access by humanitarians to the areas of Minova and Rutshuru, among others. The situation has however been resolved on 04 February, thanks to dialogue with the authorities and civil society. • In North Kivu, attacks against humanitarians continue to hamper access to some areas. On 28 January, a vehicle of Médecins Sans Frontières – Belgium (MSF-B) travelling from Goma to Masisi has been attacked, and equipment and money have been stolen. In another incident in the Rutshuru Territory, on 28 January a staff member of an international NGO was briefly kidnapped but later released.

Humanitarian Needs and Response

Education • In South Kivu, teachers in and many of those in the territories of Kabare, Kalehe, and Walungu, have been on strike for almost one month. The strike originated from the fact that, due to the inability of the national authorities to pay teacher salaries, parents have received this responsibility but are often unable to meet it. Although the authorities do not believe that the school year will be lost, it is clear that the school calendar will need to be revised. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other humanitarian actors working in the education sector are working with the national authorities to find a solution. • In North Kivu, the roofs of primary schools in Kalunga and Nuyndo have broken due to heavy rainfall between 11 and 17 January. Classes are currently being conducted in the open air, which poses a serious obstacle to the quality of education.

Food Security and Livelihoods • The NGO Concern Worldwide has completed the distribution of seeds for 2,400 households in 27 villages of the Rutshuru Territory of North Kivu.

Health and Nutrition • In North Kivu, the NGO Merlin reports that 27 cases of fever of unknown origin, leading to three known deaths, have been recorded between 14 and 26 January in the villages of Garambwe and Nyarubugu, in the Binza health area. Specimens have been sent to Kinshasa for analysis, with the suspicion that these could be cases of encephalitis. Awareness activities and surveillance have been increased. • An inter-agency mission in Isiro (Haut-Uele District, Orientale Province) conducted from 27 to 29 January has reported a problematic lack of humanitarian actors involved in the provision of medical care to the IDPs present there — currently estimated at 7,000. According to the chief doctor in the locality, since the arrival of IDPs to the area in 2008, 26 cases of evitable death have been recorded, of which six just in January 2010. • In South Kivu, cholera is an increasing concern, especially in the health areas of Mwenga, Kadutu, and Katana. Between 18 and 26 January, the Lemera health area, which had not been affected by any cholera epidemic for almost one year, has also been the scene of 117 reported cases of cholera, leading to two known deaths. This increase in the incidence of cholera is largely attributable to the lack of running water, due to damages caused to the water distribution system by heavy rainfall. At a special meeting on 26 January, humanitarian actors including the World Health Organization (WHO) and NGOs have devises a response to the problem, mainly through the distribution of water purification materials, as well as provision of medical care for those affected.

Non-food items (NFIs) • In the Ituri District of the Orientale Province, Solidarités, through the Expanded Programme for Assistance to Returnees (PEAR), has organized a NFI fair for 1,462 households who had returned from the Djugu Territory last week. Meanwhile, Solidarités has also distributed NFI kits to 302 newly arrived IDP households in Boga and 46 more in Bukiringi, all of whom arrived from Zunguluka following armed violence two weeks ago.

Water and Sanitation • In the Orientale Province, the NGO Solidarités has started water and sanitation activities for 203 IDP households in Linakofo (10 km north of Dungu) and 1,200 more in Nakubu and Ningba (Rungu Territory), such as distribution of water purification materials and soap. These activities aim to decrease the risk of waterborne diseases.

For more information, please contact: Maurizio Giuliano, Advocacy and Public Information 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