DRC violence concerns ICRC

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KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 3 (UPI) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was deeply concerned about the impact that ongoing fighting in DRC had on civilians.

Rebel Gen. Bosco Ntaganda waged mutiny in the Democratic Republic of Congo in April. He complained the government had reneged on commitments made when his forces were integrated into the DRC as part of a 2006 peace agreement.

Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC delegation in DRC, said civilians are bearing the brunt of the worst of the violence.

"The people who are forced to flee sometimes extremely violent attacks are in a very worrying situation," he said in a statement. "Children, elderly people and women are the hardest hit."

The U.N. Security Council, through a unanimous vote last week, extended the mandate of the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC, known by the initials MONUSCO, until June 30, 2013.

Under the terms of the mandate, Congolese authorities were urged to prosecute those suspected for grave human rights abuses, including Ntaganda loyalists.

European officials estimated that than 222,000 people were displaced by conflict since fighting began in April.

"The trauma connected with a hasty departure, over and above the lack of food and other essentials, should not be underestimated," said Rauchenstein.