Fighting in Democratic Republic of the Congo displaces 220,000 since April
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Refugees flee fighting in Democratic Republic of the Congo
At least 220,000 people in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been displaced by fighting that began in April, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA).
OCHA Spokesman, Jens Laerke, says that fighting between the national armed forces, FARDC and M-23 rebels, which is a group of break-away soldiers from the national army, had also forced more than 43,000 to cross into neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda.
Mr. Laerke says the fighting was exacerbating what was already one of the world's worst and most complex humanitarian crises.
"The volatile situation also has consequences for humanitarian access and the ability of aid organizations to deliver assistance. The events of the past two weeks have displaced an unknown number of people in the area and disrupted their livelihoods. There were reports of child soldier recruitment, sexual violence and communal violence." (Duration: 18")
