02/23/2006

Several months after 150,000 people, such as these women, were displaced from their homes in central Katanga in the DRC, the humanitarian situation is beginning to improve and the UN World Food Program has completed an airdrop of food. However, the protection of displaced and local populations is still not assured and public health remains a major concern. The high number of returning refugees and IDPs is putting a strain on local resources and localized fighting continues in the east of the country, creating new waves of displacement. The displaced are still waiting for more aid from the international humanitarian community to help assure adequate health care and security.