The Refugee Crisis In The Congo

Congolese civilians gather in an displaced people's camp in Kibati. The French and British foreign ministers have held crisis talks with President Joseph Kabila in a diplomatic push to halt a rebel advance and looming humanitarian disaster in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(AFP/Walter Astrada)

1 Million Flee Congo Fighting, U.N. Says -- CNN

(CNN) -- About 1 million people have been forced to flee because of fighting between rebel and government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday, adding that it was investigating reports of camps being looted and torched.

A rebel spokesman said they were keeping to a cease-fire so aid can reach displaced Congolese.

Babou Amane, deputy spokesman for the National Congress for the Defense of the People, said rebel forces had retreated to about 9 miles (15 kilometers) north of the city of Goma to create a "humanitarian corridor."

Despite a rebel cease-fire declared late Wednesday, security in Congo's North Kivu province was tenuous, with many aid organizations refusing or reluctant to venture out to help the homeless, authorities said.

About 50 medical personnel from Medecins sans Frontieres can move throughout the area relatively unobstructed and supplies are getting in, said Marie-Noelle Rodrigue, the agency's local emergency coordinator.

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My Comment: The Congo is one of the world's richest regions for precious and valuable metals .... but tribalism coupled with foreign interference has made this country a basket case.