04/25/2005

Situated in the Ituri Region of Orientale Province, Bunia is the headquarters of MONUC, the UN Mission in the DRC. In 2003, militias in Ituri threatened to invade the town. Citizens of Bunia and nearby villages fled to this spot next to the Bunia Airport because they believed that MONUC troops that were stationed there could provide them with security. While the area surrounding Bunia has had fighting and been tense, the town is much more secure now. However, international agencies have been finding it difficult to convince the people in the camps to return home. Some of the camp residents told RI that their homes had been taken by people from other ethnicities, while others are renting out their homes and prefer to live in the camp because it provides reliable and less expensive services. Afraid of creating a situation of unending dependency, agencies have begun to reduce services to encourage the IDPs to leave the camp. “I know my rights. I am not going home until it is safe to go home,” said one IDP.