Aid agencies today warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the Democratic Republic of Congo after fierce fighting between the government and rebel forces.
Diplomatic efforts are under way to bring an end to the crisis with envoys from the US and UN sent in to help set up negotiations. Yesterday, a ceasefire appeared to be holding in the violence-hit eastern city of Goma.
France and Britain also announced a European diplomatic push today to secure peace in east Congo, including increased humanitarian help for tens of thousands of civilians fleeing attacks by rebels and soldiers.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's prime minister today pledged to rebuild the army, establish peace and improve living conditions as he presented the new government's program to parliament.
On Wednesday tens of thousands of residents, refugees and government soldiers fled Goma as rebels advanced. Congolese soldiers were reported to have killed at least nine people and looted homes and stores in the eastern provincial capital.
Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has called for the urgent disarmament of a Rwandan Hutu militia that he says works with the government. He said his fighters had retreated seven miles from Goma.
But he has threatened to take the city unless UN peacekeepers guarantee the ceasefire. Despite agreeing to a UN-brokered ceasefire in January Nkunda resumed fighting in August. More than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes over the past months.
Aid agencies are now turning their attention to providing the displaced with food, shelter and support.
Michael Khambatta of the Red Cross said the priority was to provide civilians forced from their homes with food, medical aid, shelter and security.
Juliette Prodhan, head of Oxfam in Congo, yesterday said international staff had been evacuated from Goma as a “precautionary measure”. She said: “We will continue to monitor the situation closely, in the hope of being able to resume humanitarian assistance to those who so badly need it in the area.
“If we cannot get back into the camps after two weeks, the situation will become more complicated. Further violence will only cause more human misery and suffering for people who have already suffered too much.”
Save the Children began the evacuation of its staff in the province of North Kivu because of the fighting.
Hussein Mursal, its director in the country, said: “The conflict is now threatening the lives of our aid workers so we have temporarily to withdraw our staff to safety.
“With the humanitarian crisis worsening day by day it’s vital for us to be able to get help to communities, but the security situation is making it impossible.”
Concern said today it has evacuated its staff from Masisi and Goma, the second time in a month the agency has been forced to evacuate its staff from Masisi.
The aid agency called on the international community to help broker a ceasefire.
"The international community must continue to promote a durable ceasefire agreement for North Kivu," said Louise Supple, regional director of Concern.
"We are calling for the international community to now focus on opening up a humanitarian dialogue with all parties to the conflict to negotiate a humanitarian space to aid the civilian population."
The African Union is to hold crisis talks today. EU efforts have also been ongoing to bring Rwandan president Paul Kagame and Congolese president Joseph Kabila together.
The UN said its first priority was to sustain the ceasefire. It was considering redeploying troops from other parts of the country.
Agencies