Reference :
V-P-CD-E-01435
Date :
07/2012
Caption :
South Kivu, Kalonge. With the help of volunteers of the Red Cross society of the DRC, the ICRC distributes 357 tonnes of food to 3920 displaced families.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
Each family receives a food ration consisting of 60 kg of corn flour, 20 kg of peas, 10 liters of oil and 1 kg of iodized salt for a period of one month.
ICRC website, Operational Update, 27/09/2012
Democratic Republic of the Congo: ever more displaced people and war casualties
With various regional and international initiatives under way to resolve the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the ICRC is pressing ahead with its efforts to bring aid to civilians directly affected by conflict and to casualties and detainees.
"The security in the east of the country has deteriorated further," said Franz Rauchenstein, the head of the ICRC delegation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "People in areas where there is a high level of violence are hit very hard. Because the situation is rapidly and steadily worsening, the ability of people to meet their needs is being severely tested."
It is often difficult to quickly reach remote areas beset by violence, because it takes time for reports of violence to arrive and because security conditions are unfavourable.
"The plight of civilians is extremely worrying," added Mr Rauchenstein. "We are calling on all concerned to ensure that civilians and persons hors de combat are protected and spared the effects of violence."
Increasing numbers of displaced people
More than 10,000 displaced people have gathered in a makeshift camp, Mugunga I, at the foot of the volcano Nyiragongo, west of Goma. The camp provides temporary accommodation for people who have fled the rising violence in North Kivu over the past several months. Among those in the camp are inhabitants of Masisi territory who managed to escape attacks on their villages. In August, in response to their utter destitution, the ICRC brought them corn flour, beans, cooking oil and items such as tarpaulins providing protection from the cold and rain, blankets, sleeping mats, and jerrycans for fetching water. It was able to do so thanks to the help provided by volunteers of the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "What we want most of all is help bringing peace back to our country, so that we can return home and work our fields," said Emmanuel, who has taken temporary refuge in the camp. "We want to go back and live normal lives again."
In South Kivu, in the far reaches of Shabunda territory in the west and Walungu territory in the east, other displaced people have gathered in the villages of Bisisi and Mutale, in the Kalonge area. "It all began when we had to flee the killing. When I heard gunshots in my village, I left everything behind me," said Mariam, one of the wives of the village chief. With her 10 children, she succeeded in building a makeshift shelter. Other displaced people have been taken in by resident families, and still others are without accommodation. Despite the lack of security and the poor condition of the roads, the ICRC managed to distribute more than 350 tonnes of food in Kalonge centre, the main town. With help from Congolese Red Cross volunteers, it provided almost 4,000 families with one-month food rations. "The ordeal of these displaced people is unfortunately just one example among so many in South Kivu," said Christian Cardon, an ICRC delegate in Bukavu.
(...)
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3008x2000
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
