ICRC concerned over Kivu violence

(Vatican Radio) Fighting in DRC's North Kivu province has led to the displacement of more than a quarter of a million people in recent weeks, including tens of thousands across the borders into Rwanda and Uganda. The international Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a statement expressing concern over the intensification of violence and the ensuing difficulties in offering effective humanitarian assistance. “Although the situation in the Kivus has been fragile and problematic for several years, the abuse of the civilian population we have been seeing in recent months is extremely worrying and contrary to all basic humanitarian principles,” said Franz Rauchenstein, the head of the delegation of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kinshasa, who also said that the increasingly ethnic character of the recent violence is a cause for serious concern. Apart from the fighting taking place and the overall lack of security in North and South Kivu, the nature of certain attacks is also jeopardizing access to care for the injured and the sick. The ICRC is calling on belligerents to respect the rights and property of civilians. Vatican Radio’s Chris Altieri spoke with ICRC public relations officer Marie-Servane Desjonquères - listen: