DR CONGO: Humanitarian agencies try to feed Congo civilians cut off by combat

United Nations aid workers struggled to deliver food to thousands of civilians cut off by fighting in Congo's North Kivu province on Tuesday (October 9) as rebel soldiers battled government troops after abandoning a ceasefire. The renewed clashes between fighters loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army threatened to worsen an already dire humanitarian situation in the eastern border province of Democratic Republic of Congo. U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) officials travelling with a convoy carrying 100 tonnes of food aid into North Kivu's Masisi district reported hearing machine gun and artillery fire and seeing an exodus of fleeing civilians. The food shortage also affects the area's most vulnerable. "The children under five are the most vulnerable people, they don't have access to food and become severely malnourished. Aid workers can't help them all, as it's very difficult for us to reach all the places where they stay because of insecurity in this area," said Prosper, a senior field officer for Save the Children, who didn't want to give his surname. The WFP food convoy was the first in more than a month to travel to Masisi, which has seen multiple skirmishes between government soldiers, Nkunda's fighters, local militia and Rwandan rebels. Masisi hospital is where victims of the combat are being taken. "I was looking after my father's cattle when fighting erupted between the government forces and the rebels of Laurent Nkunda. The rebels shot at me and I was hit on the left leg and they ran away with all the cattle," said Ishara Barutua, who was wounded in the fighting. AWFP official said the fresh fighting could threaten attempts to get through to around 150,000 people the WFP estimates are out of reach of humanitarian assistance.

ITN Source | October 10, 2007

Tags:. .battled. .left. .seen. .didnt. .cant