GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, November 5 (UNHCR) – As a massive food distribution got under way
Wednesday in six UNHCR-run camps for tens of thousands of internally displaced Congolese in North Kivu, the UN refugee agency prepared to hand out tonnes of shelter and household items.A
four-truck UNHCR convoy carrying 33 tonnes of various aid items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans crossed Wednesday from Rwanda into Goma, the capital of the
conflict-hit province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid, from regional emergency stockpile in Tanzania, was scheduled for immediate distribution.It arrived in Goma as
the World Food Programme (WFP), with assistance from UNHCR, began distributing food to some 135,000 displaced people in the six camps run by the refugee agency near Goma.The food distribution
is the first in North Kivu since a major new eruption of fighting between the DRC armed forces and fighters loyal to renegade general, Laurent Nkunda, sent tens of thousands of displaced people
fleeing for their lives. Many have ended up in the six camps.The aid operations were made possible following a ceasefire and relative calm over the past few days. But reports of fresh fighting
Tuesday between the pro-government Mai Mai militia and Nkunda's forces in the Rutshuru region, some 70 kilometres north of Goma, are threatening to restrict the movement of humanitarian agencies once
more.The UN refugee agency was able earlier this week to begin improving shelter and sanitation facilities at the crowded Kibati camp for internally displaced people, which is located close to
Goma. The camp population grew from 15,000 to some 65,000 people in the space of a few days.UNHCR, through its implementing partners, has constructed three Rubb halls at Kibati, which will be
used to provide shelter for the displaced. These giant portable warehouses can each accommodate about 200 people. The third one was completed on Wednesday.It is currently the rainy season and
many people have no shelter from the elements. Many also lack blankets or mats, but UNHCR's aid delivery should help many.The biggest obstacle for humanitarian workers in North Kivu is the
reduced or non-existent access to the most vulnerable people and families.UNHCR is also concerned that armed men might be infiltrating the IDP camps. "We are again calling upon all parties to
the conflict to respect the civilian character of all sites. This is of utmost importance as we are trying to ease the suffering of the displaced population" said Karl Steinacker, the UNHCR emergency
coordinator in eastern DRC. UNHCR is concerned that Kibati is now the frontline between the army and Nkunda's fighters.More than 250,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed
in August in North Kivu. Estimates are that there are now more than 1.3 million displaced people in this province alone.Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
European Union Aid Commissioner Louis Michel addresses the media in Kigali October 31, 2008. Michel is in Rwanda for talks with President Paul Kagame after visiting Democratic Republic of Congo's President ...
