Refugees International will return to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from April 18 until May 9, 2005 to conduct a humanitarian assessment mission to investigate the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning refugees. Andrea Lari and Sarah Martin, advocates, will be joined by Sandra Sennett Tully, the Secretary of RI’s Board of Directors. RI will also travel to the Congolese borders with Uganda and Rwanda to document the situation of refugees there.

Despite a peace agreement signed two years ago to end the long-running civil war, violence continues in the east of the DRC. As the UN peacekeeping force, MONUC, struggles to overcome damaging allegations of sexual exploitation, it faces an even greater challenge of disarming the militias in Ituri that continue to threaten the civilian population. In addition to bringing reluctant militias to the process, the disarmament program must also attend to the needs of child soldiers and reintegrate former fighters into their communities. In North Kivu, MONUC must address Rwandan armed groups that have committed to disarm yet continue to clash with the Congolese army, putting the population at risk of continued violence.

RI has repeatedly advocated for increased international attention, assistance and a regional response to the crises in the Great Lakes region and the DRC in particular, highlighting the disastrous consequences of the armed conflict on the civilian population. During this mission, the team will pay specific attention to the protection concerns of displaced women and the issue of gender-based violence. They will also review international and national coordination and response to recent displacements.