WFP coping with DRC violence

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KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 8 (UPI) -- The U.N. World Food Program said it was able to provide monthly food rations to thousands of people caught in the conflict in the DRC.

Rebel Gen. Bosco Ntaganda in April staged a mutiny in the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing the government of violating the terms of a 2009 peace agreement that brought his rebel forces into the military.

WFP Regional Director Stanlake Samkange said the agency has been able to respond to the needs of Congolese civilians affected by the violence.

"But continued violence will lead to more people requiring help and it will be critical to ensure that WFP has sufficient resources to address the needs of the newly displaced," he said in a statement.

In northern provinces affected the most by the violence, WFP said it was providing food assistance to close to 250,000 displaced people.

Tens of thousands of DRC civilians have fled their homes seeking refuge in other parts of the country or across the border to neighboring Uganda and Rwanda.