Thousands flee to Zambia to escape violence in Democratic Republic of Congo
Geneva — Several thousand people have fled to Zambia in the past month to escape violence in Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN said on Tuesday.The UN refugee agency said 3,360 people from Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-wracked southeast had entered Zambia since August 30, the largest influx of its kind in the past five years.People "are escaping inter-ethnic clashes, as well as fighting between Congolese security forces and militia groups," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic told reporters in Geneva.Those arriving in Zambia described escaping "extreme brutality, with civilians being killed, women raped, property looted and houses set alight", he said.Most of those fleeing come from the northern Katanga and Tanganyika regions.In recent years, these have been the scene of multiple deadly clashes between the Pygmies and Bantus from the ethnic Luba group.About 60% of those arriving in Zambia were children, including many showing signs of malnutrition, and suffering from malaria,...
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