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ICRC activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - 2006
14-02-2007 Operational Update
A summary in facts and figures of ICRC work in 2006 to help victims of the violence
In 2006, the ICRC distributed essential relief items to displaced people, reunited children with relatives, and enabled other people separated from their loved ones to stay in touch by means of Red Cross messages (brief personal messages to relatives made otherwise unreachable by armed conflict).
On th e medical front the ICRC continued its support for hospitals and other health-care facilities. It launched programmes in the realms of surgery, limb-fitting, physiotherapy and aid for the victims of sexual violence. Delegates helped large numbers of people by facilitating access to drinking water and instituting agricultural and fish-farming programmes. The ICRC also helped develop the operational capacity of the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In the realm of protection, the ICRC continued visiting and materially aiding people deprived of their liberty.
At the same time, the organization strove to promote knowledge of the basic principles of international humanitarian law among bearers of weapons, the authorities and the general public.
The ICRC carried out its humanitarian work through its delegation in Kinshasa, its sub-delegations in Goma, Bukavu, Lubumbashi et Kisangani, and its offices in Uvira and Kalemi. It had a staff in the Congo of some 520 people, both expatriate and locally hired.. 90,263 Red Cross messages were gathered and 81,020 delivered.
. 641 children separated from their families (including 259 former child soldiers) were reunited with relatives by the ICRC or by the National Red Cross Society.
. 551 cases of children separated from their families (including 106 former child soldiers) were being dealt with as the year ended.
. 656 new tracing requests were received, with 550 cases being resolved and 558 remaining as yet unresolved.
162 visits were carried out in 33 places of detention.
5,768 detainees were monitored, of whom 143 were newly registered during the year.
7,074 Red Cross messages were gathered and 5,156 distributed.
The ICRC regularly provided 4,455 detainees with soap.
It regularly provided 455 detainees with food.
It furnished with basic medicines seven prisons regularly visited by it.
Health (all figures refer to ICRC-supported facilities)
17 hospitals, 9 other health-care facilities and four limb-fitting centres received ICRC support.
22,053 curative consultations – 11,632 of them to women – were given.
15,099 pre- and post-natal consultations were given.
- 19,231 doses of vaccine were administered. © ICRC / Wojtek Lembryk / cd-e-00414
324 health-promotion events were held.
4,362 surgical operations were performed.
364 war-wounded patients were treated.
39,045 medical consultations were given.
1,281 patients received prostheses and orthoses.
As part of a programme to make people more aware of the problem of sexual violence and to improve care for the victims, over 7,000 people attended dramatized presentations on the subject.
510 victims of sexual violence benefited from consultations in ICRC-supported medical facilities. Of these, 81 received contraceptives and measures to prevent infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
1,317 victims of sexual violence received counselling from ICRC-trained staff.
75 volunteers from the National Red Cross Society and 46 psycho-social workers were trained in techniques to raise awareness of the problem of sexual violence and directing its victims to suitable facilities.
Emergency relief
Many families had lost everything because of the conflict and were now struggling to survive and rejoin society and the economy. In Katanga, Orientale province and North and South Kivu:
22,034 families (totalling 110,170 individuals) received essential items (blankets, clothing, tools, tarpaulins, mats, mosquito nets, soap, buckets and cooking utensils).
9,250 farming families (totalling nearly 46,250 individuals) received seed, ploughing implements and/or agricultural training.
6,000 families (totalling nearly 30,000 individuals) grouped in 155 fishermen's associations received fishing tackle and/or training in fish-farming techniques.
Facilitating access to water
The ICRC works together with local authorities to improve people's access to water.
In conjunction with the Water Distribution Authority, the ICRC launched six large-scale projects in urban centres. These benefited an estimated 500,000 people. Two of the projects were completed and four were still under way as the year ended.
In conjunction with the National Rural Water Board, 12 rural projects were initiated for the benefit of some 300,000 people. As the year ended, four of these were completed, seven were still under way and one had been suspended.
Three projects were undertaken to repair and upgrade health-care facilities, while two projects were launched to carry out repairs, improve hygiene and access to water in prisons.
National authorities
14 information sessions were held for 178 representatives of local and provincial authorities.
National Army
53 events to promote knowledge of and compliance with international humanitarian law were organized for military instructors working at " brassage " centres, in which former combatants from different regions are trained and reintegrated into one new national army unit.
More than 4,000 officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks in the National Army attended similar events at " brassage " centres, and almost 2,000 attended similar events held in their units.
6 events were held for nearly 200 members of armed groups.
3 events were held for 308 senior officers of the third and fourth graduating classes at the Groupement des écoles supérieures militaires.
2 events were held for 200 officers and NCOs of the Republican Guard.
A pilot programme to teach humanitarian principles and human rights was set up at the Combined Police Unit, with 7 awareness-raising events being organized for 578 officers.
26 events were organized for 2,094 members of the nation al police force.
Civil society
17 awareness-raising events were organized for 900 civilians.
6 events were held at 3 universities for 280 students. A university instructor was sponsored by the ICRC to take part in the pan-African course on international humanitarian law held in Burkina Faso.
3 workshops and 7 information events were organized for 224 journalists.
29 press releases were published, 3 information bulletins distributed and 11 radio or television ads broadcast.
3 events were organized for 166 staff of development and human rights NGOs.
4 events on humanitarian law and repression of international crimes were organized for 390 judicial officials and lawyers.
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The ICRC provided support for the following:
the holding of an extraordinary session of the Society's central committee and of 11 statutory meetings
53 trips to the provinces by senior Society officials to supervise the organization's work
work to build four provincial committee offices and to repair and upgrade three others
publication of the bulletin " Échos de la Croix-Rouge " : three runs of 10,000 copies
aid distributions and celebration of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
4 national workshops attended by 38 senior staff
2 workshops for sharing of experience, attended by 18 supervisors of micro-projects to exploit water points and build public latrines
9 training workshops and 28 training events for 672 first-aid workers and 360 team leaders
2 meetings between the National Society and the ICRC and International Federation on the problem of sexual violence
the work of the Secretary-General and the provincial committees (material and financial support)
21 micro-projects benefiting 94,120 people.
International Committee of the Red Cross
32, Avenue Papa Iléo (ex av. des Cliniques)
B.P. 7325 Kin 1
Kinshasa Gombe
Democratic Republic of the Congo
tel. (+243) 81 700 6060 or (+243) 99 990 0074
fax: +871 762 871 026
E-mail: kinshasa.kin@icrc.org
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