04/26/2005

These people fled their villages in the Ituri Region of Orientale Province when hardliners in the militias clashed with UN peacekeeping troops. 20,000 fled to Kafé camp, a small village sandwiched between the mountains and Lake Albert, which separates the DRC from Uganda. After MONUC forces withdrew from the camp, the Ituri Integrated Brigade, a special internationally-trained unit of the DRC army, was stationed in this camp. Due to initial misgivings as to whether the Congolese army would be able to protect them, the displaced people threatened to leave the camp and follow MONUC. However, the Ituri Brigade was able to win the confidence of the people by effective and robust action against the militia threatening the camp. They were even able to expand the boundaries around the camp beyond what had been initially secured by MONUC. Because of the increased security that the Ituri Brigade brought to the area, thousands of IDPs felt safe to return home quickly to their villages.