Nairobi — An inter-agency mission will begin a two-week tour on Monday to assess the situation of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a view to devising strategic plans to overcome the country-wide problem, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The country has an estimated 2.4 million IDPs according to the 2003 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal. OCHA said on Thursday that the recent withdrawal and demobilisation of foreign troops in the DRC had led to significant changes on the ground: certain areas previously inaccessible were now reachable for humanitarian organisations, and that might encourage the return of IDPs. Conversely, increased insecurity in other areas due to renewed fighting between Congolese armed groups was hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations and resulting in further displacement and increased protection problems.
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