Surging Violence Targets UN Aid Workers in the DRC

Violence against United Nations aid workers has increased in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a majority of the attacks coming from bandits. This is a new trend for 2009; 2008 saw armed militant groups as the majority of perpetrators. The northern area of Kivu has long been an epicenter of violence in the DRC, with countless exchanges between Government forces and rebel groups, including members of the Interahamwe who had fled to the DRC after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The increase in not only the number of, but viciousness in attacks has created a hostile environment for aid workers. Most of the attacks are criminal in nature, although the Congolese forces have also been implicated in some of the activities. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has stated that no one has been held accountable for the attacks to date.

By Caleb B. Ray

Source: UN News Centre