Farming output threatened by increased fighting

Fighting between Rwandan-supported RCD rebels and Kinshasa-backed Mayi-Mayi militia is intensifying in South Kivu, displacing thousands more people as this year’s first agricultural season is about to start, the NGO Action Against Hunger said on Monday. In a statement, it said most villagers had fled to neighbouring hillsides, almost all commercial activities had stopped, the displaced had little or no access to seeds and tools, and the only road south of Uvira had been cut off. “Trucks and cars have been restricted from passage, forcing the displaced population into complete isolation from the rest of the country,” the statement said. In response, Action Against Hunger has distributed seeds to some 12,500 displaced families in the Uvira area. To bypass closed roads, the NGO last week had to deliver part of the seeds by boat from Burundi in a “risky” operation across Lake Tanganyika, it added.