Congo: Civilians Flee Tribal Clashes

Thousands of civilians have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo’s volatile Equateur province for fear of renewed clashes between two tribal militias over resources.

More than 100,000 refugees are believed to have crossed the Oubangui River into neighboring Congo Brazzaville, where they are living in public buildings.

The Enyele and Munzaya tribes from the region have been involved in an inter-ethnic conflict since October over farming and fishing rights.

The DRC’s military has taken control of the area, arresting militia fighters and pursuing those who have fled into forested areas, while humanitarian workers are facing problems in reaching out to the victims, who are scattered and in some cases still stuck in areas with continuing fighting.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has reported an influx of victims. UNHCR’s regional spokesman Andrej Mahecic saying many of the latest arrivals had gunshot wounds and that a few under-age rapes had been confirmed.

The UN Security Council is this week expected to renew the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Congo, against the backdrop of Human Rights Watch calling for withdrawal of the UN’s military support for the Congolese army over alleged atrocities. [ER].