11/2/2005
Inter-Ethnic Rivalry Brings More Death In Eastern DRC

Another 52 civilians died in inter-ethnic clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern regions this week according to UN reports.One militia was reported to have included 30 child soldiers in its ranks. The clashes between members of the Lendu and Hema ethnic groups have resulted in another 10,000 people fleeing their homes to seek protection.

Humanitarian organisations are distributing life-saving emergency assistance, said Ross Mountain the local UN Humanitarian Coordinator. 40,000 such people have been forced to flee their homes in the area since the beginning of the year and are now surviving in increasingly difficult circumstances, he said. Driving the Lendu-Hema conflicts are disputes over the region's productive farmlands and forests, the Kilo Moto gold mine, one of the largest in the world, and other goldfields, potential oil reserves in the Lake Albert basin and rich fish stocks, says a UN analysis.