02/28/2006

The southern part of South Kivu, like other parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, was engulfed in the 1998 – 2002 conflict. Civilians were caught up in the fighting and from Uvira southwards, hundreds of thousands abandoned their homes. Today, the gradual improvement in security has allowed some of the 153,000 Congolese refugees in Tanzania to return. Since October 2005, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has facilitated the trip back with transportation and direct assistance for over 12,000 people. Nine hundred to 1,000 refugees return each week by boat through the port of Baraka; after registering and receiving a return package at the transit center there, they are trucked to drop-off points further inland. For many, that is where assistance ends and difficulties begin. Refugees International is urging donors and humanitarian agencies to coordinate their interventions. In particular, they should provide the seeds and tools essential for self-sufficiency, and increase community capacity to absorb returnees.