Friday, July 10, 2009

Link Dump

Radio Okapi says that the LRA kidnapped 80 Congolese from the village of Bayule, in Congo's northeastern Bas-Uele district, in the early hours of Tuesday morning (7/7), and were heading toward Ango.

Monuc is denouncing the decision by mai-mai groups to ally with the FDLR. The two groups are the Alliance des patriots pour un Congo libre et démocratique (APCLS) and les Patriotes résistants Congolais (PARECO), which are active in Nyabiondo, south of Lubero in North Kivu.

Everyone's happy that Congo and Rwanda have exchanged ambassadors.

IRIN reports the situation continues to worsen for civilians in the Kivus. Some 80,000 people were displaced from their homes in North Kivu in June, and 17,000 were displaced in South Kivu. According to OCHA, "Insecurity resulting from [Kimia II] has reduced humanitarian access and prevented aid organisations reaching thousands of vulnerable people."

The ICRC adds its voice to the many others warning of increasing danger to civilians in North and South Kivu. Rape, murder, pillage, and destruction are causing tens of thousands to flee, particularly in Lubero, Walkale, Rutshuru, and Masisi. It estimates that some 300,000 people have been displaced in North Kivu since the start of the year.

According to a recent independent study sponsored by the ICRC, 76 percent of Congolese have been affected in one way or another by the war; 58 percent have been displaced; 47 percent have lost someone close to them; and 28 percent know someone who was a victim of sexual violence. This is for the Congo as a whole, not just for the Kivus.

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