South Kivu situation worsening

There has been no let-up in the tense South Kivu situation, with more reports of abductions and ambushes. According to humanitarian sources, Mayi-Mayi militia forces ambushed a vehicle on the road between Katagota and Kamanyola 10 days ago. They made all the passengers leave the vehicle and separated three Banyamulenge. Two of them were killed, the third managed to escape. The other passengers were robbed. The sources stressed that this road had become very dangerous and incidents could occur at any moment. In another incident, an FAO team which was vaccinating cows, was abducted in the Fizi region, on the way to Mulenge, by rebels of the Burundian Forces pour la defense de la democratie (FDD) who accused them of “vaccinating cows belonging to the Rwandese”, the sources said. The number of displaced people around the Kahuzi Biega national park, near Bukavu, is increasing, independent humanitarian sources in the region told IRIN. During the daytime, some of them work or go looking for food. At night, they seek refuge in banana plantations along the road towards Miti, Murhesa and Kafulumaye. The sources said they were fleeing attacks by Interahamwe militia, Mayi-Mayi and other armed groups hiding out in the forests. Relative calm during the day gives way to terror at night, when these militia groups carry out looting sprees, raping women and killing people who get in their way. The forest-dwelling pygmies are not immune from attack. Aid organisations have requested them to integrate into society so that they can benefit from food distributions, as it is impossible to care for them in the forests.