Boat traffic returned to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) Lake Kivu on Tuesday as ports reopened in two cities which have fallen to M23 rebels, a development the UN said could facilitate access to humanitarian aid after weeks of fighting and looting.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group is trying to show it can administer the cities of Goma and Bukavu as government and UN officials warn of a looming humanitarian catastrophe including potential outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.
The World Food Programme said looters stole about 7,000 tonnes of food supplies as the DRC military withdrew from Bukavu and rebels entered the city over the weekend.
A passenger boat from Bukavu to Goma left on Tuesday morning, operator Lweni Ndale said, adding it was the first he had sent since late January, shortly after Goma fell to M23.
The UN humanitarian office said the resumption of boat traffic would allow aid groups to get supplies to Idjwi Island on Lake Kivu where more than 100,000 people had sought refuge from fighting.
However, the airport in Goma, which the UN describes as a lifeline for aid, remains closed, which could make it difficult to scale up operations.
The arrival of M23 rebels in Bukavu has dealt another blow to Kinshasa's authority and escalated a conflict that has fanned fears of an all-out regional war.
DRC and allied Burundian troops withdrew from the city to avoid fighting in densely populated areas.
The well-equipped M23 is the latest in a long line of ethnic Tutsi-led rebel movements to emerge in the DRC's volatile east.
Rwanda rejects allegations by the DRC, UN and Western powers that it supports the group with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which is fighting with the DRC military.
The DRC rejects Rwanda's complaints and says Rwanda has used its proxy militias to loot its minerals.
The DRC's ambassador to the UN, Zenon Mukongo Gay, blamed “inaction” by the UN Security Council for the fall of Bukavu and the reinforcement of rebel troops in the area, in a letter to the council's president.
Reuters
Rebel-held ports in eastern DR Congo reopen as aid needs grow
Image: Arlette Bashizi
Boat traffic returned to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) Lake Kivu on Tuesday as ports reopened in two cities which have fallen to M23 rebels, a development the UN said could facilitate access to humanitarian aid after weeks of fighting and looting.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group is trying to show it can administer the cities of Goma and Bukavu as government and UN officials warn of a looming humanitarian catastrophe including potential outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.
The World Food Programme said looters stole about 7,000 tonnes of food supplies as the DRC military withdrew from Bukavu and rebels entered the city over the weekend.
A passenger boat from Bukavu to Goma left on Tuesday morning, operator Lweni Ndale said, adding it was the first he had sent since late January, shortly after Goma fell to M23.
The UN humanitarian office said the resumption of boat traffic would allow aid groups to get supplies to Idjwi Island on Lake Kivu where more than 100,000 people had sought refuge from fighting.
However, the airport in Goma, which the UN describes as a lifeline for aid, remains closed, which could make it difficult to scale up operations.
The arrival of M23 rebels in Bukavu has dealt another blow to Kinshasa's authority and escalated a conflict that has fanned fears of an all-out regional war.
DRC and allied Burundian troops withdrew from the city to avoid fighting in densely populated areas.
The well-equipped M23 is the latest in a long line of ethnic Tutsi-led rebel movements to emerge in the DRC's volatile east.
Rwanda rejects allegations by the DRC, UN and Western powers that it supports the group with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which is fighting with the DRC military.
The DRC rejects Rwanda's complaints and says Rwanda has used its proxy militias to loot its minerals.
The DRC's ambassador to the UN, Zenon Mukongo Gay, blamed “inaction” by the UN Security Council for the fall of Bukavu and the reinforcement of rebel troops in the area, in a letter to the council's president.
Reuters
READ MORE:
M23 rebels advance into eastern DRC’s strategic city of Bukavu
SANDF silent about status of troops still in DRC
DRC fighting leaves 350,000 with no shelter, says UN refugee agency
M23 rebels seize two more DRC towns as Tshisekedi seeks support abroad
Civilian death toll exceeds 80 after east DRC militia attack, says UN mission
AU summit unlikely to make progress on DRC in face of Rwanda defiance
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