Humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

The humanitarian situation in the DRC has reportedly continued to deteriorate over the past three months, humanitarian sources have said. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number of displaced persons has risen from about 1.4 million in June to 1.8 million in mid-September, as a result of the Rwandan-Ugandan clashes in Kisangani, intensified hostilities in the Kivus and the current fighting in northern Equateur. Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies recently launched a major initiative in Equateur Province, under which more than 400,000 war-affected persons will receive urgently needed life-saving support. Humanitarian sources said that agencies involved in this operation were currently encountering serious problems in obtaining government clearances to operate in southern Equateur. “Government’s full cooperation will be required to reach out to displaced communities that have remained without any support since mid-1999 in this province,” the source said.