Heavy fighting between government soldiers and National Congress for the Defence of the Congolese People (CNDP) rebels in Sake, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has left widespread damage and caused the displacement of thousands of people.

Kakule Kambale of ANAMAD, a local ActionAid partner organisation, said: "The bombs were coming from the hill. They destroyed our office. About 15 women from ANAMAD were hit by stray bullets."

ANAMAD works with women affected by the conflict in the DRC.

Most of the casualties were taken to a hospital in Bambino, near Sake, run by MONUC (the United Nations monitoring force in the DRC). Those seriously injured were taken to Goma for emergency treatment.

"With this heavy fighting, we fully expect a high number of rape victims to turn up at the centre once the situation has quietened down," a doctor at the hospital said.

The rebel group is led by General Laurent Nkunda.

An estimated 100,000 civilians have been displaced since large-scale fighting resumed in August 2008, including many already displaced by earlier waves of fighting.

This has adversely affected humanitarian operations in established camps near Goma town. The overcrowded camps are receiving a steady influx of newcomers fleeing the fighting in Sake and nearby Rutshuru territory.

ActionAid has highlighted an urgent need for funds to provide immediate aid to the thousands of new Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) now moving in the direction of Goma.

"The situation is becoming increasingly desperate for IDPs. A number of the new arrivals are injured, families have been separated, and many are unaccompanied children who are frightened and vulnerable. The camps are overcrowded, and current food shortages are adding to the urgency," said Maria Ali-Adib, emergency response programme manager for ActionAid DRC.

"Action must be taken immediately to direct assistance to the camps and communities hosting these IDPs."

Background

The Goma Agreement signed in January, which committed to an immediate ceasefire between the Congolese government and 22 armed groups, was followed by the Amani Program, set up in April by the Congolese government to coordinate peace efforts.

The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement set out the basic rights of all displaced people, though implementation has been poor.

A majority of displaced people do not have access to adequate health services, education or food. Malnutrition has reached alarming levels in several areas and various diseases are endemic.

Food prices have increased, forcing vulnerable groups to resort to high-risk tactics to gather food, with some returning home to cultivate their fields.

Many women and girls have been raped while trying to find firewood and water.

Children are forced to work because their families have no money or because there are no schools operating near displacement camps.

Displaced people are often forced to move again to new areas as village populations can sometimes double in size, straining resources.