Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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'Not by Bombs and Bullets' – overcoming the legacy of violence in DRC
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, 26 June 2008 – The road to Rutshuru runs past hazy active volcanoes and silver lakes. It would be the stuff travel brochures are made of – that is, if this route on the eastern edge of DRC, flush with Rwanda, wasn’t literally lined with the hardware of a war few understand.

As DR Congo crisis persists, UN classifies rape as weapon of war
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 24 June 2008 – In a momentous step forward for the protection of women and girls in DR Congo and around the world, the UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war.

UNICEF Executive Director joins V-Day to focus on stopping rape in DR Congo
NEW ORLEANS, USA, 15 April 2008 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman joined thousands of supporters and activists to celebrate the 10th anniversary of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls. Over the past decade, V-Day has raised over $50 million and educated millions of people about violence against women and how to end it.

In DR Congo, counselling and education heal the invisible wounds of war
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 March 2008 – Moka, 13, was hiding at home with his family when the mortar landed. “It killed my grandfather and my younger brother,” he says. “We saw them dead, blown up, burnt.”

UNICEF appeals for help with humanitarian activities in DR Congo
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, 14 February 2008 – Not far outside this town that has swelled to 10 times its size in as many years, the hardware of war can be found along all routes in this region of active volcanoes, forests and lakes.

‘HEAL Africa’ helps war-affected young women and children
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 8 February 2008 – Fighting between factions in Goma – the capital of North Kivu Province – has killed, injured and displaced millions of Congolese over the last decade. A recent International Red Cross report estimates that 40,000 people have died every month since conflict began in 1998 – most of them women and children.

Maisha’s story: Former child soldier reclaims his life in DR Congo
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 October 2007 – Maisha (not his real name) was 15 when he joined the Mayi-Mayi militia, a loose coalition of Congolese soldiers that emerged a decade ago in opposition to the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD).

Masika’s story: Child combatant in DR Congo recalls the emptiness of army life
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 October 2007 – Masika (not her real name) was only 13 when she decided to join the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) militia in eastern DR Congo. She joined because her mother had recently died. She also liked the uniforms the soldiers were wearing.

Helping former soldiers plant seeds for the future in DR Congo
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2 October 2007 – Simon, 15, always loved to garden on his family’s farm in the Masisi territory of eastern DR Congo. At age 10, however, he was forcibly abducted by the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) militia, and for several years he fought on the front lines in many battles and was forced to loot villages in order to survive.

Humanitarian supplies distributed in the wake of conflict in North Kivu, DR Congo
NORTH KIVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 27 September 2007 – Just a 20-minute drive west of Goma, the North Kivu provincial capital, the aftermath of recent fighting between government troops and dissident forces begins to unfold.

Humanitarian crisis in DR Congo continues as a tenuous peace sets in
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 21 September 2007 – Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and left destitute by the recent fighting in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Displaced children especially vulnerable to illness and military re-recruitment in North Kivu
NORTH KIVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 September 2007 – In an era of extreme difficulty for the people of DR Congo, between 300,000 to 350,000 people have been displaced since November 2006. In the last few weeks, the situation has gone from bad to worse, with approximately 60,000 people displaced from their homes around North Kivu. In unstable circumstances like these, children are especially vulnerable to exploitation.

V-Day and UNICEF urge protection for women and girls in eastern DR Congo
NEW YORK, USA, 6 August 2007 – Highlighting the issue of violence against women and girls, renowned US playwright and ‘V-Day’ founder Eve Ensler has chronicled her firsthand encounters with women in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where sexual violence has become a routine weapon of war.

UNICEF Ambassador Lucy Liu visits families displaced by violence in DR Congo
NORTH KIVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 June 2007 – UNICEF Ambassador Lucy Liu has just returned from a trip to war-torn eastern DR Congo, where she witnessed the dire situation of displaced women and children.

Water is plentiful but not safe enough for children in DR Congo
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, 25 September 2006 – The mighty Congo and hundreds of lesser rivers crisscross the lush countryside here, providing plentiful water, but the legacies of a decade-long war abound.

Even where fighting has ended, sexual violence scars children and women in DR Congo
KISANGANI, Democratic Republic of Congo, 4 August 2006 – Through the mists and past the dense forests on the edge of the Congo River in Kisangani, thousands of militia and government soldiers have set up camp. It is a bold experiment in integrating former enemies, a vital step for a peaceful future.

Children on the run from conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo
KISANGANI, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 31, 2006 – A child stomps maize outside her home on the shores of Lake Albert, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It seems at first glance like a peaceful scene but her shelter is a green sheet wrapped over a skeleton of sticks and rebel fighters lurk in the hills surrounding the camp. Like so many other children here, this girl has grown up on the run from conflict.

Former child combatants need alternatives to soldiering
LUMUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of Congo, 26 July 2006 – Seventeen-year-old Jean lives in a modest house in Lumumbashi. In a spare room, he works with colourful cloth to expertly tailor a shirt. But Jean would much rather be making war than clothes.

Childhood under attack in DR Congo
NEW YORK, USA, 24 July 2006 – Childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been under attack for decades but elections on 30 July could offer an opportunity to break the cycle of violence that has scarred an entire generation.

Marie Paule’s story: Surviving life on the streets of Kinshasa, DR Congo
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, 22 June 2006 – Marie Paule is in her first year of secondary school. At 14, children her age are usually in their second or even third year. The young teenager may be late in catching up, but she has come a long way.

UN agency heads call for new commitment to help Africa's Great Lakes region
NAIROBI, Kenya, 3 March 2006 – The heads of three of the largest United Nations humanitarian agencies today urged the international community to match political progress in the Great Lakes region with a new commitment to end the suffering of the millions of people forgotten by the rest of the world.

UNICEF Executive Director on joint mission to Great Lakes region with heads of WFP and UNHCR
NEW YORK, 27 February 2006 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman has taken a firsthand look at programmes for children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including meeting with street children at a feeding programme in Kinshasa. Ms Veneman is in Africa for a joint visit to the Great Lakes region with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme James Morris and UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

As 6,000 flee renewed violence, UNICEF distributes food and emergency supplies
BUNIA, DR Congo, 10 February 2006 – Fighting has once again erupted between armed militias and government troops in the eastern part of this country. Fearing the violence, more than 6,000 people – most of whom are children fleeing with their parents – have abandoned their homes and taken refuge near the village of Aveba, in hopes of being protected by UN peacekeeping troops stationed nearby.

Fighting in DR Congo forces Pygmy populations to flee the forests
BENI, DR Congo, 3 February 2006 – The preferred way of life for the Pygmy population around North Kivu is to remain in forested areas. But now they are being forced to flee their villages by a recent upsurge in fighting in the area.

Humanitarian crisis in eastern DR Congo worsens as fighting continues
DUBIE, Democratic Republic of Congo, 30 January 2006 - A young mother’s wailing pierces the air, as a group of men prepare her baby’s grave. The funeral begins and, wrapped in a blanket, the baby is laid to rest on top of a banana leaf in the shallow pit. Now a mother no more, the young women collects herself and staggers away.

New fighting displaces more than 10,000 people in DR Congo
NEW YORK, 27 December 2005 – Renewed fighting between Government forces supported by UN peacekeeping troops and opposition militias has displaced at least 10,000 people in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks. These clashes come as the country strives to recover after a long civil conflict.

DR Congo: Volunteers help children orphaned by HIV/AIDS
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, 24 October 2005 – Only now emerging from a long history of war, the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a future where poverty and disease, especially HIV/AIDS, will be the enemies and soldiers of a different kind will be needed for the battle.

Nearly 3,000 former child soldiers returned to civilian life
NEW YORK, 4 April 2005 – UNICEF has confirmed that over 2,900 former child soldiers in Ituri District, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have been returned to civilian life since September 2004.

Former child soldiers reclaim their lost childhood
KPANDROMA, Ituri District, DR Congo, 30 March 2005 - At a UNICEF-supported demobilization and community reintegration centre in Kpandroma, Congolese children, some as young as eight, are putting on a play to re-enact the ordeal they endured as pawns of armed groups.

Life-saving immunization drive launches in DR Congo
NEW YORK, 28 February 2005 - A UNICEF supported immunization drive, which begins officially in March will send vaccinators into villages across the Democratic Republic of the Congo to immunize children against a host of childhood diseases.

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi raises another $1 million for UNICEF
TOKYO, 31 January 2005 – Renowned Japanese TV personality and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Tetsuko Kuroyanagi raised yet another $1 million in 2004 to help UNICEF in its work for the world’s children.

“The Mamas” go door to door to help villagers with health
KAPOLOWE VILLAGE, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 26 August 2004 – The villagers here are lucky to live near Lake Tshanga-Lele: Fish from the lake provide a convenient source of food. But the shores of the lake are also a potential source of death. Malaria infected mosquitoes bring danger, disease and death to many here.