Download logo UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence by armed groups has recently claimed more than 20 lives. The attacks are on the rise in the Beni area of North Kivu Province and further north in Ituri Province, both situated near the border with Uganda. It is estimated that more than a million people are displaced in North Kivu. An estimated half a million people have been forced from their homes this year alone. UNHCR is calling on all parties involved in the conflict to protect and respect the lives of civilians displaced in a region that is already having to respond to a deadly outbreak of Ebola. An attack by the main rebel groups, the Allied Democratic Forces – National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu) in the city of Beni in North Kivu last weekend killed more than 20 people, most of them civilians. While … [Read more...] about UNHCR alarm at recent attacks and rising displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
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New Ebola Outbreak Confirmed In Democratic Republic Of Congo
HEALTH 08/01/2018 11:38 am ET Updated 56 minutes ago The news comes just a week after the country announced the end of its ninth Ebola outbreak. By Lauren Weber Four new cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just a week after the country announced the end of its ninth Ebola outbreak. Congo’s Ministry of Health was notified Saturday of 26 cases of fever “with hemorrhagic signs” that included 20 deaths in Beni, a city in the northeast province of North Kivu. Of the six samples analyzed for Ebola, four came back positive. Ebola is considered endemic to Congo because of its equatorial forest ecosystem. Authorities do not believe the new outbreak is connected to the Bikoro outbreak, which infected 54 people and killed 33 and which was just declared over. The two outbreaks are separated by more than 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles). The Ministry of Health noted that therapeutic treatments are still in country from the … [Read more...] about New Ebola Outbreak Confirmed In Democratic Republic Of Congo
Ebola outbreak declared in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo has declared an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Image courtesy of Twitter. The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a rare and deadly disease, on Tuesday, the World Health Organization reported. The declaration came after laboratory results confirmed two cases of the disease in the province of Bikoro in the northwestern part of the country. Ebola virus disease, which most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees), is caused by one of five Ebola viruses. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. The average case fatality rate is around 50%. A government statement released Tuesday states that the Ministry of Health has “taken all necessary measures to respond promptly and effectively to this new epidemic of Ebola in the DRC’s national territory”. In … [Read more...] about Ebola outbreak declared in Democratic Republic of Congo
Film recognized for highlighting human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The feature-length documentary “Maman Colonelle,” directed by Dieudo Hamadi, has received the Human Rights Award 2017 from the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), and SIGNIS, a worldwide association of Catholic communicators. The film highlights the courage of one person to fight against sexual abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The eastern portion of the DRC faces particular challenges in sexual violence towards women. There are hundreds of thousands of victims, young and old, facing crushing psychological, physical and social consequences. The film depicts the ways in which society blames them, and does not see them as the victims they are, therefore denying them justice and human rights. The film was recognized because it restores human dignity – and peace – not only to women who suffered war crimes but also because it portrays the Congolese as taking the initiative to work for a better society. “Maman Colonelle” … [Read more...] about Film recognized for highlighting human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Refugees Who Fled Violence in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, Face Disease and Privation in Uganda
The attackers wore masks and used axes, machetes, and guns to slaughter civilians in the strife-torn Ituri province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), says Areiti, a mother of seven children. The morning the violence came to her village of Joo, she had no time to prepare her family’s escape. “I saw how they were killing people,” the 37-year-old says. “They cut people with axes and they slaughter with machetes. You cannot see them clearly because they are running after you. They attacked our village before Christmas, and we spent Christmas in the bush.” After escaping, Areiti and her children braved the journey to the shores of Lake Albert. And like some 57,000 other people who have fled renewed violence in eastern DRC since mid-December, they crossed the lake on a boat to Uganda, in search of safety and another chance at life. A Treacherous Journey “We left [DRC] at sunset. The lake was difficult to cross. The wind was … [Read more...] about Refugees Who Fled Violence in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, Face Disease and Privation in Uganda