United Nations Radio

Attacks by Ugandan bandits of the Lord's Resistance Army have forced thousands of people to flee their homes in the north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last five days.

Congolese refugees

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says more than 130,000 people have been forcefully displaced and over 500 killed since the first attacks in mid-September.

A UNHCR team in the town of Dungu says that the LRA attacked the town of Tora killing residents, pillaging and burning homesteads.

The agency says 15,000 internally displaced people, who fled Tora and neighbouring villages to escape the advancing LRA bands reached the town of Dungu over the weekend.

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond says the agency is now helping the displaced people.

"UNHCR and its partners are beginning the registration of these new arrivals that will be carried out today with the local Red Cross and UNHCR. We want to identify those who are most in need of urgent assistance and tomorrow UN agencies, including UNHCR will begin distribution of humanitarian assistance to these people as well."

The Congolese, Sudanese and Ugandan armed forces began a joint military operation against the LRA bandits in December.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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