KINSHASA, 6 March 2009 (IRIN) - Civilians are slowly returning to their homes in the North Kivu region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite continuing violence and displacement due to militia activities, sources said.

"While we are seeing tentative returns in some areas, we are also seeing new displacement due to ongoing rape, killings and looting," Bob Kitchen, country director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said in Goma.

The IRC said it had recently registered more than 14,000 returnees from Uganda in Ishasha and Nyakakoma towns. Many of the returnees, however, found their homes looted and empty, spokeswoman Emily Meehan said.

The returnees were also experiencing congestion in camps and among relatives who had temporarily housed them. "One household assisted by the IRC had 11 people living in a 3 sqm room," Meehan added.

A 35-day operation by the DRC and Rwandan armies to dislodge Hutu militias in the area ended on 25 February, with the Rwandan troops returning home.

"The Hutu Rwandan groups have not been completely destroyed but their preparedness has been significantly reduced," joint operations commander Lt Gen John Numbi said. The DRC army, he added, was continuing to pursue the militias.

At least one million people are estimated to have fled their homes in North Kivu as violence, mainly perpetrated by the Forces démocratique pour la liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), escalated in 2008.

"We constantly monitor the movement of fleeing civilians in North Kivu, in order to respond to their unfolding needs," Kitchen said. "Civilians in [the] province continue to endure chaos, displacement and suffering."

Tens of thousands of those uprooted from their homes were living without adequate food, shelter, water or sanitation.

Officials at the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC) said the FDLR had regained control of some villages in the region.

"The FDLR have regrouped in Nyabiondo, Kibua and Kashebere, reoccupying some of their former positions like Kalembe in Masisi territory as some towns in Walikale and Lubero," said MONUC's spokesman, John Paul Dietrich. Kalembe is 12km north of Nyabiondo in Masisi.

The militias have recently launched attacks against DRC government positions. "On the morning of 2 March, the FARDC [DRC national army] were attacked in Kagheri, 30km south of Lubero," Dietrich said.

They have also continued to commit atrocities against civilians, especially in Pinga area. A recent assessment mission from the IRC in Rutshuru territory found villages, homes and schools pillaged.

"As is the case throughout North Kivu, different armed groups have controlled the area at various points in the past four months," Meehan said. "Sporadic eruptions of violence have spurred waves of displacement."

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