GOMA, DRC, 23 January 2009--ACT members in Goma report that the situation there is calm, but tense, following the arrest of Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. Rwandan soldiers arrested Mr Nkunda in Rwanda just days after other Rwandan troops crossed the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"All ACT International relief operations are continuing," reports Anna Muinonen, programme coordinator for ACT member FinnChurchAid. She added that there is an increased presence of soldiers in Goma and that most shops are closed as people celebrated the arrest of Mr Nkunda.
ACT is following the advice from the UN to cancel most movement to areas outside of Goma. However, Ms Muinonen tells that the Rwandan soldiers are operating in a different area from where ACT is working and so assistance continues.
Nkunda arrested in Rwanda
Mr Nkunda fled to the Rwandan side when armed clashes north of Rutshuru took place on Thursday. Apparently he is still being held by Rwanda, which is due to hand him over to the Congolese authorities.
The joint operation of Congolese and Rwandan troops against the FDLR is still ongoing. The operation is to last fifteen days, during which the alliance of Congolese and Rwandan troops, CNDP and several Mai Mai groups will pressure the FDLR to disarm voluntarily and to "repatriate" to Rwanda.
UN suspended most operations
UN agencies have suspended most of their operations and movements outside of Goma until it is more clear where activities can be undertaken safely and how FDLR will react. Up to today, approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops have crossed over to the Congolese side. Ms Muinonen says that the ACT members are limiting their movements to areas outside of Goma and to the South Lubero area from Beni.
'Invisible' families
ACT works among the so called 'invisible' displaced families and the increasingly vulnerable communities who are hosting them. Initial plans for assistance include support for an estimated 27,000 people, as well as water and sanitation support for significantly more families.
While official figures of newly displaced people in crowded camps around Goma are still being determined, another reality of displacement remains in the shadows: the thousands of families who have opened their modest homes to fleeing strangers. Although these displaced persons do not appear to be immediately at risk of malnutrition and disease like those jammed into camps, they are weighing on the meagre resources of their hospitable host families -- and feeling undignified for having to do so.
In addition to poor shelter conditions for some families, the vulnerability of host communities is also increasing. With the arrival of those who fled, the need for firewood can double or triple for long periods of time and the surrounding environment is beginning to suffer from deforestation.
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The following ACT members are responding through a joint ACT appeal:
Church of Christ in Congo (ECC - South Kivu and North Kivu)
Ecumenical Office for Support to Development (BOAD)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Congo (EELCO)
Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)
Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
Media contacts:
Tomm Kristiansen, Communications Officer
(office: +41 22 791 6039 / mobile: +41 79 358 3171 / tkr@act-intl.org )
Sidney Traynham, Assistant Communications Officer
(office: +41 22 791 6711 / mobile: +41 79 681 1868 / sjt@act-intl.org )
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Palestinian boys pray outside a destroyed mosque during the first Friday prayers after the end of Israel's offensive on Gaza in Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza January 23, 2009. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis ...
