35,000 Forced to Flee Homes in Democratic Republic of Congo

(RV - 25 July 09) An outbreak of fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern province of South Kivu has forced more than 35,000 civilians to flee their homes in the past two weeks.

The latest population movement brings the total number of civilians to have been displaced in South Kivu since January to about 536,000 people.

The total number of people displaced by violence and fighting in the eastern DRC is over 1.8 million

Massimo Fusato is a Humanitarian Officer for the British Catholic Aid agency, CAFOD.  He says the situation in the Congo had gotten better for a short period of  time earlier this year, before getting worse.