Health and sanitation give cause for concern

The lack of access to many of the 60,000 to 65,000 refugees was “especially worrisome” in view of estimates from UNHCR medical staff that, in the town of Njoundou alone, 5,000 of an estimated 20,000 refugees were suffering from some kind of health problem, Redmond told reporters. The range of problems included more than 600 intestinal cases, including shigella - a highly contagious type of dysentery that requires treatment by antibiotics and a high-protein intake - as well as hepatitis, ear infections and malaria.

“Continued access to these refugees is extremely important if we want to avoid further health problems,” he said. There would soon be sanitary and nutritional health problems as well, and relief agencies were gearing up for early intervention in the event of a humanitarian corridor being negotiated, according to UN officials in Brazzaville. UNHCR, which last visited Njoundou on 8 July, has access to only 120 km of the 700 km between Loukolela and Betou, mostly in restricted areas around Loukolela and Impfondo.

Meanwhile, renewed fighting in Equateur had recently forced more than 20,000 people to flee to RoC, Redmond added.