780,000 displaced people registered in 3 months in eastern DR Congo

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - At least 780,000 displaced people have been registered in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo North Kivu province since June, a UN official said on Monday.

Speaking to UN radio, Suzanna Tkalec, the deputy humanitarian coordinator in the country, said that more than 700,000 displaced persons were registered in Beni and about 80,000 in Masisi and its surroundings in the North Kivu province.

Tkalec said that health, children's education, food, and protection remain the priority.

“The situation is very difficult, very worrying. Several people have shared their stories with us. (Some of them) lost their families, husbands, children and are in a situation of extreme vulnerability,” she added.

Noting that the humanitarian community has already lost at least five workers with some others kidnapped or injured since the start of this year, Tkalec said access to the displaced people remains a challenge.

The North Kivu province has been plagued by violence since the 1990s after Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels established bases in the forests in that region from where they attack villages and kill people while looting their property.