Recent fighting forces 30,000 to flee to Gabon

The number of refugees who fled to Gabon in the past couple of weeks to avoid fighting in ROC now stands at around 30,000, with the border provinces of Nyanga and Haut Ogooue having taken most of the influx. Some 2,000 are estimated to have made their way to the capital, Libreville. A UNHCR statement said it was working urgently to assess the needs of urban refugees, as well delivering aid to forested border regions. The agency is keen that refugee camps should not be established close to the border, and is in talks with Gabon about reception of the new refugee groups, it added.

Meanwhile, Gabon's representative to the UN Security Council said the country was willing to cooperate with UNHCR "to ensure the best possible conditions until the refugees returned home". There were problems associated with settling the Congolese among the local population, especially since some of the refugees were armed, and "Gabon would appreciate proper training, particularly for security forces".