IRC Continues Aid Distributions in Volatile Eastern Congo

An emergency team distributed 850 fuel-efficient stoves to displaced women in Nzulu Camp in Masisi territory over the weekend as part of an IRC program to prevent sexual assaults that frequently occur when women leave camps to collect firewood.

Rwandan troops entered Congo last week to join the Congolese Army in an offensive against Rwandan rebels that have been present in eastern Congo since 1994. The soldiers moved into Rutshuru and Masisi territories, where the IRC provides a range of assistance, including health, education and water supply services.

Amid the sharp increase in troops and concern about imminent fighting, the IRC put off an immunization campaign and suspended other programs for two days.

The IRC provides humanitarian assistance for some 500,000 vulnerable people in North Kivu and is concerned about their safety and well-being.

In South Kivu province, where Rwandan FDLR rebels are also based, the IRC has temporarily scaled back programs around major provincial towns as a precautionary measure. IRC programs continue in rural areas of South Kivu.

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