Rise in spontaneous IDP sites worrying - official

The humanitarian community in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has expressed concern over the proliferation of the number of "spontaneous" sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the province, hosting at least 857,000 IDPs.

"These spontaneous sites are quite new in North Kivu and they are mainly linked to reduced capacities of host families to accommodate the displaced,"
Caroline Draveny, the public information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told IRIN. "We are working on ways of assisting the affected IDPs as well as the host families themselves."

Aid agencies - incorporating UN agencies and non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) - have set up a working group to devise ways and means of dealing with the spontaneous sites.

According to an OCHA humanitarian update for 17-23 May, the territories of Rutshuru and Masisi have at least 20 spontaneous IDP sites and 11 managed IDP camps.

In addition to the growing number of spontaneous sites, the issue of the occupation by IDPs of public buildings such as churches and schools in Rutshuru territory needs to be solved, the agency said.

"Since January, three primary schools in Rutshuru town have been occupied by IDPs," Draveny said. "This has direct negative consequences for education."

She added that the humanitarian community was working on finding solutions for vacating these public buildings.

Regarding the province's security situation, OCHA said at least 10 security incidents had been reported during the period under review; these included the looting of two vehicles, one belonging to an international NGO. No casualties were reported.

"This brings the number of security incidents against humanitarian workers to 12 since January 2008 in this territory," OCHA said.

Photo: OCHA

North Kivu province and other parts of eastern Congo have experienced several years of conflict despite the signing of an agreement in 2003 that brought calm to most parts of the vast country.

Most of the latest clashes in North Kivu, in May and late April, have pitted the Congolese army against the Forces Démocratique de la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu armed group of about 6,000, founded by fugitive perpetrators of Rwanda's genocide in 1994.

The DRC government and several armed groups in North Kivu province signed a ceasefire in January, but the truce has been repeatedly violated, increasing the number of displaced.

Analysts have predicted that even more civilian displacement is likely in the coming weeks and months because the Congolese army is moving aggressively into areas held by the FDLR.

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