DR CONGO / REFUGEES

Following a joint Congolese-Rwandan operation to disarm FDLR by force earlier this year, the rebels are now retaliating against the local civilian population. The UN refugee agency estimates 370,000 Congolese have left their homes since January. Both government soldiers and rebels are accused of targeting innocent civilians, like Fatuma Kapuweli. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:31
• Production Date: 12 June 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: U090612c

Description

STORY: DR CONGO / REFUGEES
TRT: 2.31
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SWAHILI / NATS

DATELINE: 5-9 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

Shotlist

6 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

1. Various shots, Fatuma Kapuweli walking into camp, loaded with wood filmed
2. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“My husband went one way and I went another. We rested along the route. But we saw they were still following us. We took the road here, sleeping rough along the way. We slept in bad places.”

7 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

3. Various shots, camp,
4. Wide shot, Fatuma and a UNHCR official
5. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“When I arrived here, UNHCR took me in. They gave us plastic sheeting, sticks, a blanket, sleeping mat, spoon, and jug.”
6. Various shots, camp scenes

8 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

7. Med shot, UN peacekeepers patrolling street

6 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

8. Various shots, camp
9. Various shots, Fatuma cooking and her kids eating
10. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“Because of hunger, we have differences with our neighbors. We go into people’s fields because we too might eat. But sometimes this brings tensions with our neighbors.”
11. Med shot, hut

7 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

12. Med shot, UNHCR lorries and crowds
13. Various shot, small kids washing up
14. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“Firewood is hard to find, I cannot light any fires. I have many difficulties.”

6 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

15. Med shot, Fatuma putting spinach in a pot

7 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

16. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“I want to go home. I want peace so that we can go home. I want to be in my garden, to eat well, to sleep well, and to be with my husband.”

8 MAY 2009, DR CONGO

17. Med shot, UNHCR trucks

Storyline

When she heard the sound of gunfire close by, Fatuma Kapuweli, a mother of five, knew she had no choice but to run. Eastern Congo’s years of instability and fighting taught her that violence can come from any direction at any time.

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“My husband went one way and I went another. We rested along the route. But we saw they were still following us. We took the road here, sleeping rough along the way. We slept in bad places.”

Out of the hundreds of thousands of people who fled their homes since the latest offensive started in January, not all have escaped to safety Some have been robbed or raped, seen their houses burned down, or worse.

Fatuma says she feels fortunate.

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“When I arrived here, UNHCR took me in. They gave us plastic sheeting, a blanket, sleeping mat, spoon, and jug.”

Since 2006 more than 900,000 Congolese have been uprooted by fighting and instability in North Kivu Province. They live in a virtual limbo.

With more people than ever on the move - tensions are growing between the displaced and local communities. Sometimes the displaced come back to find their land and homes have been taken over. But mostly, the swelling camps mean competition for scarce resources. The displaced get food rations – but, as Fatuma says, it’s often not enough:

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“We sometimes have differences with the locals. We don’t have enough food so we go into their fields to fine more. But this sometimes brings tensions with out neighbors.”

The violence has also destroyed any sense of community. Each of the 11 camps in North Kivu host thousands of people, all are strangers to one another. All are struggling to survive and trying to protect their families:

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“We have a lot of difficulties, we are hungry, we don’t have a decent place to sleep, there are bugs. We don’t have even a bed. We can’t sleep. We are suffering.”

Fatuma and her children may face an uncertain life in the camps, but with no end in sight to the fighting, she has little choice but to stay.

Still, Fatuma dreams of the day it will be safe enough to return:

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fatuma Kapuweli, Congolese IDP:
“I want to go home. I want peace so that we can go home. I want to be in my garden, to eat well, to sleep well, and to be with my husband.”