Some 20,000 remain inaccessible to aid, says UN

UN agencies in the Republic of Congo (ROC) say that at least 20,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian aid remain in inaccessible areas of the troubled Pool region. "At present, the UN has access to the towns of Djamballa, Kinkala, Madzia, Kibouende, the east part of the railway line (on the south side only), Kindamba and Bouenza region (west of Pool region)," the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator reported on Tuesday. "However, the UN still does not have access to many areas of great concern in the Pool region including Mayama, Vinza, Kimba, and the west part of the railway line, such as Mindouli (between Matoumbou and Loutete)," it added. The UN said it remained in contact with government officials on a daily basis to coordinate access to the most affected zones in Pool, dependent on government assessments of the security situation in a given area. Concern among humanitarian agencies is also growing as to whether sufficient access will be gained into the affected part of Pool in time for this year's polio vaccination campaign, scheduled to begin 20 June. ROC is at a critical stage in its efforts to being certified polio-free, as no wild-virus confirmed polio cases were reported in the country in 2001. Operations in Kindamba Meanwhile, the UN and partner agencies made a third visit to Kindamba on 8 June to continue distribution of food and non-food items, and provide specialist advice in the health, water, sanitation and agricultural sectors. Health experts carried out MUAC (middle upper arm circumference) tests on about 185 children and found that 30 percent were suffering from mild malnutrition, while 14 percent were severely malnourished. A pilot agricultural programme was launched in which 28 families were given seeds and agricultural implements. However, security remains a primary concern, and the population is afraid to venture more than two to three kilometres from town to plant, cultivate or harvest crops. Other recent UN humanitarian missions have been made to the village of Madzia, where the health situation was deemed "not critical", although a high prevalence of malaria, stomach problems and skin diseases was noted; and to the Bouenza region west of Pool, where at least 50 mt of rice, oil, salt and BP5 biscuits; and five metric tones of full medical kits, educational kits, mattresses, jerry cans and mosquito nets were distributed to 1,676 families, including host families, for about 6,500 individual beneficiaries. Fighting erupted in ROC in late March when so-called Ninja militias attacked several government military positions in Pool, according to official sources. However, Ninja representatives have said that the clashes were provoked when they discovered government plans to arrest their leader, the Rev Frederic Bitsangou, alias Pasteur Ntoumi.