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Cologne. Malteser International is distributing foodstuff to more than 48,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). "We can now reach even more people than last year", says Dennis Müller, Congo expert of Malteser International. "The people had to flee the heavy fighting between the Congolese army and the rebels. Although there is a ceasefire now, most of them do not dare to go back to their villages", Müller explains. "Many of the IDPs have also lost their family, their house and all their belongings and are urgently depending on food aid." Malteser International therefore distributes more than 500 tons of maize, vegetables, oil and salt in the region of Minova. The World Food Programme is financing the foodstuff - as it did already in November 2008.
Furthermore, Malteser International is organising relief measures in a second disaster region in the north-east of the DR Congo: Today, a plane loaded with medical supplies will leave from Arua (Uganda) to Faradje (DR Congo), a city that has been piled and destroyed by rebels of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). During their assault, the rebels had burnt the city's hospital and killed its doctor. The other health facilities of Faradje have also been pillaged or even completely destroyed. With the support of the European Union, Malteser International is now delivering 2.5 tons of medical drugs and other medical supplies in order to enable the remaining medical staff to treat the numerous wounded and to rehabilitate the health care services. Further relief measures for this region are currently being prepared.
Attention editors: Dennis Müller, Congo expert of Malteser International is available for inter-views. Please call +49 (0) 221 9822-213.
Photos from the IDP camps in Minova are available on our website: http://php.malteser.de/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=251
Join our network of relief and donate:
Donation Account 2020122;
Pax-Bank Köln, von-Werth-Str. 25-27, D-50670 Köln, Germany,
Sort Code : 370 60 193; IBAN : DE93 3706 0193 0002 0201 22; BIC: GENODED1PAX
Reference : "Congo"
Or online at www.malteser-spenden.de or http://www.maltarelief.org
Malteser International is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta for hu-manitarian aid. The organisation provides aid in about 200 projects in more than 20 countries without distinction of religion, race or political persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence are the foundation of its work. For further informa-tion: www.malteser-international.org and www.orderofmalta.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Rwandan soldiers march past a crowd gathered to watch thousands of Rwandan troops returning home across the border at Goma in eastern Congo, February 25, 2009. Rwandan troops began withdrawing from ...
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