DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) — British Foreign Secretary David Miliband voiced concern on Sunday over the fate of 1.6 million displaced people in the Congo he warned were trapped in the crisis and out of the relief net.
"More than 1.6 million internally displaced are trapped in the crisis and cannot be easily accessible. They are without food, water and other necessities," he said.
Miliband was speaking after he and French counterpart Bernard Kouchner met Tanzanian President Jakaya Kiwkete, who currently chairs the African Union (AU), in Dar Es Salaam.
"There is threat of outbreak of communicable diseases and malnutrition in the area," Miliband said.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians, many of whom had already been previously displaced, were thrown on the road by the latest round of intense fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A ceasefire declared Wednesday by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda's movement following the retreat of government forces has so far held, triggering intense Western diplomatic activity aimed at containing the crisis.
On Saturday, the pair of European envoys held talks with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, toured areas affected by the crisis in eastern DRC and held talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
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