Intensified fighting between Congolese armed forces and dissident groups and militia as well as widespread human rights violations committed by all groups throughout 2007, and especially since August, are responsible for the significant increase in internal displacement within North and South Kivu, two small but volatile provinces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WFP estimates that 1.3 million displaced people and host family members are in need of food assistance.

The latest figures talk about more than 1.8 million of people affected, and more of 1.5 million of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The 15 nation council could vote as early as Wednesday on a resolution that would raise the limit for the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission from the current 17,000 troops to nearly 20,000 to help divert the continuation of the 1998-2003 war.

WFP ICT  has deployed one international telecommunications officer, Aramais Alojants, to assist Muanza Kanda who is the WFP's DRC ICT officer and has also successfully completed the EPR training. In the next few days Robert Kasca, WFP Emergency Coordinator will be travelling to DRC. Robert has been trained and also delivers sessions in the IT Emergency Management training.

Aramais has taken up the role of the Inter-agency  coordinator. This effort is focused on the response in North and South Kivu provinces where recent fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

WFP is coordinating Inter- agency response to provide security telecommunications and data services. The effort is including other agencies, icluding UNHCR and UNICEF.

Currently we are in the deployment phase, equipment sourced from Dubai is on the way to Goma, through Rwanda,  upgrade and reorganization of the security radio-rooms is underway.

Oscar Caleman, from WFP ICT  Rome reached DRC beginning of December and will remain on the ground until the end of the upgrade, which is planned  to last till end of January 2009. Upgrade of mentioned locations will considerably boost the security telecommunications network in the troubled areas of the Eastern Congo.

Sources: http://www.reliefweb.int and WFP Situation Reports

More information can be found on the Democratic Republic of Congo country page