ReliefWeb

OCHA DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS GING WRAPS UP MISSION TO DRC

OCHA's Director of Operations, Mr. John Ging, on 10 June wrapped up a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo aimed at taking stock of recent humanitarian developments in what is today the African country most affected by internal displacement. After holding talks in Kinshasa, Ging traveled to Kalemie, Tanganyika, and Kananga, Kasai Central. In Kalemie, he visited the Moni camp of displaced persons; in Kananga, the delegation traveled to Nganza where it heard testimonies from men, women and children about the violence of the recent months and the humanitarian needs to be met. To date, some 1.3 million people have been displaced by the Kasai crisis. The Kasai crisis, for which Humanitarian Coordinator Dr Mamadou Diallo launched a $ 64.5 million appeal in April, forced many UN agencies and NGOs to redirect personnel and allocated financial resources to meet humanitarian needs.

CENTRAL KASAI: NEARLY 95 CASES OF RAPE RECORDED BETWEEN AUGUST 2016 AND 12 JUNE 2017

A Congolese NGO active in the field of protection has reported that some 95 cases of rape have been recorded in Kasai Central Province between August 2016 and June 2017. Of these cases, 58 are girls aged less than18; the majority of the alleged perpetrators are member of the armed forces militaries. The townships of Nganza and Katoka are the most affected. A number of factors, including stigma and fear of reprisal, are influencing women from coming forward to report cases.

TWO ICRC STAFFS RELEASED

The International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC) on 15 June announced that its two staff members, kidnapped a week ago while traveling on a road between Kirumba and Beni, had been released.

NORTH KIVU: NEARLY 31,200 CONFLICT-AFFECTED PEOPLE IN BWITO RECEIVE CASH ASSISTANCE

International NGO Mercy Corps and UNICEF carried out a cash transfer operation of more than USD 468,000 targeting some 31,000 IDPs and host families. This eighth and final monetary assistance is part of a program aimed at helping civilians recover from emergency situation. Between January and February 2017, more than 30,000 newly displaced people arrived in Bwito, west of Rutshuru territory. They had been forced to flee the inter-community conflicts, abuses and violations of human rights committed by armed groups in their villages. According to Mercy Corps, most of the populations from Bwito had been forced into displacement several times. Each targeted family received an amount proportional to its size ranging from $ 92 to $ 185

ITURI: FAO WARNS FOR POSSIBLE SPREAD OF AVIAN FLU

A recent FAO/Ituri provincial authorities mission has concluded that the avian flu virus that has so far killed over 12,300 ducks and over 800 hens in Joo, Kafe, Tchomia (Djugu Territory) and Mahagi (Mahagi Territory) could very likely spread to neighboring provinces of Haut - Uélé, Tshopo and North Kivu. The mission recommended seeking donor mobilization to help adequately fight against the disease.

CRITICAL FUNDING SITUATION FOR 2017 HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN

Six months into the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan has only reached 20 per cent of the required funding, a figure that is below the average of the past years. The initial appeal of USD 748 million, which was launched in February, was supplemented two months later by an emergency appeal for the Kasai crisis for $64.5 million, raising to some $812 the total envelope needed to respond to needs in more “traditional” areas such as the Kivus,
Ituri and Tanganyika provinces as well as in Kasai. The DRC Humanitarian Fund, a jointly managed OCHA-UNDP funding mechanism, has allocated $5.6 million to the Kasai crisis. During the first five months of the year, four donors- Ireland, Luxembourg,
Sweden and the UK- contributed to the Kinshasa-based fund.