News update -- 3 January 2006 bulletin

Email from Congo

From: A
To: W
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Subject: CHOLERA and IDPs* — EMERGENCY SITUATIONS IN EASTERN DRC

Dear W,

Happy new year once again. Things are changing so fisrt here for the worse. Just one day there after I have contacted you about the outbreak, there has been a very generised fighting in eastern area area whereby the Government of Congo has launched a serious attack against the "National Army for the Liberation of Uganda " (NALU). NALU is a Ugandan rebel movement aiming at withdrawing the current government of Uganda . The movement started in Uganda by the 1990s and decided to have a base in eastern Zaire during Mobutu's regime in DRC ( Zaire by then). This was one of the raison for Uganda to fight Congo , but unfortunately Uganda Army was not able to deslodge these rebels.

Now that the DRC is preparing for elections the Govermnet of Congo, in collaboration with MONUC^# have lauched an offensive against NALU and FDLR (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda), all of them having their base in the Eastern Part of Congo.

The fighting between the Governmental Army supported by MONUC has caused a massive desplacement of people in Lubero District, Kamango, and Eringeti.

In Kamango, there are to date at least 4167 households representing 16410 people. These IDPs have been forced to run away on 24st 12 05 from their respective homes due to atroce fighting, leaving all their properties behind. Unfortunately, soldiers have been looting the propertiees left in the homes. There is now a very high concentration of people in Kamango small town of at least 15000 people receiving 16410 IDPs from the surrounding areas that have been experiencing fighting. You will not forget that this forster population as well as the IDPs community have been experiencing a cholera outbreak for the last 2 months.

On 30st 12 2005 I have been among the humaniterian team who visited one health centre last Friday together with MONUC (Mission of the United Nations in Congo) to investigate the IDPs and cholera situations. On then 4 IDPs were already admitted at the health Centre for cholera. 2 of them passed away that very day in the evening hours. This morning I communicated with the Health Centre Nurse in charge and was talking of 2 new cases since yesterday. On 30st I was ablle to carry some little quantity of medecines provided by our office to help with the situation there. Your assistance of US$ 1075 will enable us to reduce specific mortality due to this outbreak and we are really thankfull for it. May God bless you abundantely. I must tell you that because of the fighting there we have been obliged to withdraw the Health educators team we had deplyoyed before in kamango. But due to the seriousness of the situation now, we have decided to send them back by next week though figting has not cessed yet.

Now we are confronted to 2 problems in this centre as you can see it:

1. Cholera problems where by we need more resources for Health Prevention and Promotion in terms of Health education campaign, Water sources construction, latrines, sanitation kits, hand washing facilities in public places (schools, markets, etc), etc
2. IDPs problems whereby Food and non food items are needed. The former population have ran out of food and are not able to continue attending to the IDPs, and if there is nothing done soon , they will be experiencing a catastrophe.

In Eringeti, there are also 20835 IDPs who have fleed the fighting and are also needing food and non food items.

Blessings

A

* IDPs Internally Displaced People
# MONUC La mission de l'ONU en RDC or United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo