DR Congo: Refugees Suffer Amid Fierce Fighting

July 31, 2012 from LinkTV News

Civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are being caught in heavy fighting as government forces aided by UN peacekeepers continue fighting the M23 rebel group with heavy weapons around two eastern villages. Thousands of civilians are fleeing their homes and heading toward the provincial capital Goma. Thousands more have sought refuge in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. For those who have crossed the borders, food aid has been easily available. However, those who remain in DRC have nothing to eat and aid agencies are having difficulties reaching them because of the fighting. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) only recently managed to get to the displaced people in Kibati for the first time and provide emergency high-energy biscuits. Some of the people being helped said they had gone without food for a week. Fighting between the Congolese government and the rebels has displaced 470,000 people since April. Footage courtesy of Reuters.

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, sometimes referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a country located in central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 75 million, the Democ... Explore this topic

2012 East DRC conflict

The 2012 East DR Congo conflict commenced in April 2012 when soldiers mutinied against the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mutineers formed a rebel group called the March 23 Movement (M23), composed of former members of the rebel National Congress for the Defen... Explore this topic

March 23 Movement (M23)

The March 23 Movement, sometimes abbreviated as M23, is a rebel military group based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mainly operating in the province of North Kivu. It was formed on 4 April 2012 after close to 300 soldiers, all former members of... Explore this topic

World Food Programme

The World Food Programme is the food assistance branch of the United Nations, and it is the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children. From its headquarters in Rome... Explore this topic

UN Peacekeepers

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is a department of the United Nations which is charged with the planning, preparation, management and direction of UN peacekeeping operations. Explore this topic

Internally displaced person

An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was es... Explore this topic

North Kivu

North Kivu is a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Goma. North Kivu borders the provinces of Orientale to the north and northwest, Maniema to the southwest, and South Kivu to the south. To the east it borders the countr... Explore this topic

Goma

Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift system. Goma lies only 13 t... Explore this topic

Uganda

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern ... Explore this topic

Rwanda

Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of Rwanda is at high elevation, with a geograp... Explore this topic

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

2012 East DRC conflict

March 23 Movement (M23)

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