UN: Hundreds of thousands on the run from fighting in eastern Congo
According to UN figures, 450,000 people have fled fighting between government troops and militias in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past six weeks. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spoke on Friday of an intensification of the crisis in the province of North Kivu, which has been ongoing for years. In the resource-rich region, government troops and dozens of armed groups are fighting for control of the area.
According to UN figures, at least 200,000 internally displaced persons are currently cut off from humanitarian aid. Since October, there has also been an increase in human rights violations in the region, it said. These include numerous rapes of women and girls. Tens of thousands of people have reportedly reached the town of Sake, around 35 kilometers from the provincial capital of Goma.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa. Presidential elections will be held there on December 20. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned in recent months that the elections in the country's conflict regions would be difficult or almost impossible to hold.
Amidst the conflicts in eastern Congo, refugees continue to seek safety beyond the borders, facing challenges in upholding their human rights. Despite the ongoing elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo on December 20, concerns about conducting free and fair polls in conflict-ridden regions persist.
Source: www.dpa.com
