UN delivers food to Congo refugees

FOOD supplies were delivered across rebel-held areas of eastern Congo yesterday for the first time in weeks.

More than 100 tonnes of food will go to 50,000 civilians in the area north of the provincial capital of Goma over the next four days, a UN World Food spokesman said.

Fighting between the army and troops loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has displaced at least 250,000 people despite the presence of the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, with some 17,000 troops. Many of the thousands who were gathered outside a small Catholic church in Kiwanja yesterday said it was too dangerous to return to their fields because armed groups were there.