Democratic Republic of Congo
Thousands flee DR Congo violence
Tens of thousands of residents, refugees and government troops have fled the town of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite rebel forces declaring a ceasefire to prevent panic.
Troops loyal to Laurent Nkunda, a renegade army general, were on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Nord-Kivu on Thursday after government resistance appeared to have crumbled.
A statement signed by Nkunda said that the intention of his National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) was "not to panic the population of Goma as well as those who are in displaced camps in the immediate environs of the city".
In a letter to the UN mission in Kinshasa, the rebels said that they were opening humanitarian corridors for refugees camped outside the city.
However, residents fear that the CNDP will overrun the city if negotiations with Nkunda are not met.
[Read more]
Congo violence creating humanitarian catastrophe-UN
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is creating a humanitarian catastrophe and could have tragic consequences for the entire region, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
Rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda advanced on the eastern city of Goma, scattering residents and threatening to overwhelm a 17,000-strong U.N. force, known as MONUC, trying to halt a return to all-out war. Thousands of civilians and hundreds of Congolese government soldiers poured into Goma.
In a statement read by U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe, Ban said "the intensification and expansion of the conflict is creating a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions and threatens dire consequences on a regional scale."
She said Ban urged "all parties to immediately cease hostilities and to respect international humanitarian law."
"He deplores the use of civilians as human shields and their deliberate targeting by belligerents," Okabe said.
Shortly after Ban's statement, a spokesman for Nkunda loyalists said the CNDP rebels had declared a ceasefire.
The U.N. Security Council discussed the issue for the second day in a row and unanimously adopted a non-binding statement that "condemns the recent CNDP offensive ... and demands that it bring its operations to an end."
The Security Council statement also called on the governments of Congo and neighboring Rwanda "to take concrete steps to defuse tensions and to restore stability in the region." It also welcomed Nkunda's ceasefire and urged him to rejoin the peace process.
[Read more]
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We need a serious committment to effective and sufficient-but not excessive-intervention followed by humanitarian stabilization and infrastructure efforts. We need less defeatism and we need sustained global attention and political will. We can't wait till January 20, we need it now.
Write your Congressmen today.
Tens of thousands of residents, refugees and government troops have fled the town of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite rebel forces declaring a ceasefire to prevent panic.
Troops loyal to Laurent Nkunda, a renegade army general, were on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Nord-Kivu on Thursday after government resistance appeared to have crumbled.
A statement signed by Nkunda said that the intention of his National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) was "not to panic the population of Goma as well as those who are in displaced camps in the immediate environs of the city".
In a letter to the UN mission in Kinshasa, the rebels said that they were opening humanitarian corridors for refugees camped outside the city.
However, residents fear that the CNDP will overrun the city if negotiations with Nkunda are not met.
[Read more]
Congo violence creating humanitarian catastrophe-UN
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is creating a humanitarian catastrophe and could have tragic consequences for the entire region, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
Rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda advanced on the eastern city of Goma, scattering residents and threatening to overwhelm a 17,000-strong U.N. force, known as MONUC, trying to halt a return to all-out war. Thousands of civilians and hundreds of Congolese government soldiers poured into Goma.
In a statement read by U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe, Ban said "the intensification and expansion of the conflict is creating a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions and threatens dire consequences on a regional scale."
She said Ban urged "all parties to immediately cease hostilities and to respect international humanitarian law."
"He deplores the use of civilians as human shields and their deliberate targeting by belligerents," Okabe said.
Shortly after Ban's statement, a spokesman for Nkunda loyalists said the CNDP rebels had declared a ceasefire.
The U.N. Security Council discussed the issue for the second day in a row and unanimously adopted a non-binding statement that "condemns the recent CNDP offensive ... and demands that it bring its operations to an end."
The Security Council statement also called on the governments of Congo and neighboring Rwanda "to take concrete steps to defuse tensions and to restore stability in the region." It also welcomed Nkunda's ceasefire and urged him to rejoin the peace process.
[Read more]
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We need a serious committment to effective and sufficient-but not excessive-intervention followed by humanitarian stabilization and infrastructure efforts. We need less defeatism and we need sustained global attention and political will. We can't wait till January 20, we need it now.
Write your Congressmen today.