Fighting between Nkunda’s Tutsi rebels and the Congolese army has led an estimated 250,000 people to leave their home since late August. The United Nations has called it a humanitarian catastrophe with the added fear of a broader war with poverty. For the first time after weeks of fighting, aid workers handed out rations of maize and lentils on Friday to the first of at least 50,000 civilians in Rutshuru territory, which has been the scene of weeks of battles between rebel and government forces.
Men, women, and children lines up quietly in a church compound and a soccer stadium after a convoy from the UN’s World Food Program crossed the front lines of the conflict zone. One man had stated “I can’t remember how many days it has been since my family hasn’t eaten.” With the small rations, some families wonder how they will survive. As the food was distributed, children ducked under ropes to scoop up handfuls of maize that fell to the ground.
This is a small step in seeking a solution to the conflict in the Congo since President Joseph Kabila (Congo) and President Olusegum Obasanjo (Nigeria) have met with the rebel’s leader Laurent Nkunda to discuss the humanitarian conflict of these displaced families and individuals. Despite the peace talks and efforts, it is still unfortunate that some believe the fighting could escalate into a repeat war from 1998 to 2003 where rebels seized lots of territory.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/world/africa/15congo.html?ref=africa
1 comment:
I just fnished watching hotel rwanda and it is an amazing story about these two ethnic groups and I feel saddness and grief that through decades of poor treatment has lead these people to think that they need to fight for food and resources. It is the workings of the colonial governments and the exchanging of power that has evolved the tutsi to to act the way they do. I hope that there will be solutions in the future and that all may live peacefully.
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