Congolese leave their embassy refuge

The last of the hundreds of Congolese who had sought refuge in their embassy in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), have been repatriated, diplomatic sources told IRIN on Tuesday. They crossed the Ubangi River for the town of Zongo, northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Tuesday bringing to 1,200 the number of those who have crossed. "This was a very nice joint effort by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme [WFP], Cooperzione Internazionale, the DRC Embassy, and some Congolese nuns," David Bulman, the WFP country director in the CAR, told IRIN. Medicios Sin Fronteras-Espana provided medical aid. WFP, which had helped feed the Congolese during their stay in the embassy, provided each person with a five-day ration of maize meal and beans before they boarded a barge to cross the river, Bulman said. They had fled to their embassy early in November, fearing retribution at the hands of irate Central Africans. The Congolese told IRIN last week that Central Africans had been openly hostile to them, over the looting and rape allegedly committed by the forces of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo which had had come to help CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse put down the rebel attack on Bangui from 25 to 31 October. Despite the threat to their safety, other Congolese have remained in Bangui, trading in the market. In the aftermath of the fighting in the city, aid agencies began distributing relief material to the needy. WFP has set up 40 centres in Bangui from which it has been supplying food. Bulman said these were nutritional, and materno-infant centres, kindergartens, and a few schools. "Given the poor food security situation in Bangui, we are going to keep them stocked," he said. WFP, he added, would on Wednesday assess the possibility of providing hospitals and vulnerable people with aid. In addition, an inter-agency and non-governmental-agency group would travel up the road north of Bangui to assess possible needs for humanitarian aid. On Thursday, he said, the group would travel some 12 km up the road to Damara, following reports of the presence there of at least 500 needy people.