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Humanitarian staff says thousands sought safety at mobile bases in Ituri amid ADF activity
Summary
A staff member said thousands sought shelter at humanitarian bases in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and that teams are using mobile patrols with the FARDC and UPDF to protect civilians and document rights abuses, the staff member said.
A staff member said thousands of people sought shelter at humanitarian bases in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and that the teams run mobile patrols alongside Congolese and Ugandan forces to protect civilians and document alleged abuses.
"What happened is that we have, different facilities and bases in, the area. And the people who were in distress, they are just coming to our base. And this is what happened, when we had over, thousands of, people who came to to our base," the staff member said, describing civilians arriving at the sites for protection.
The staff member said the organization offers both base protection and "individual protection," noting that "people reaching out to us through different networks and asking for our support because they are in distress. And there we have journalists, we have, human rights defenders, we also have, activists, in, from the civil society organizations." Those groups, the staff member said, receive help that includes documentation of violations.
"And also, through the fact that we are able to document the human rights, violations, and abuses. And then this is also helping because at some point, it helps fighting impunity and calling for justice," the staff member said, framing documentation as part of accountability efforts.
The staff member described changes to field operations intended to respond to the tactics of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), saying forces are "more mobile" and that patrols are conducted alone or with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). The staff member also said the organization has "mutualized the effort with the, Uganda's, army, UPDF," which they said has improved civilian protection in Ituri.
The staff member said international bodies are engaged on the issue, adding: "The United Nations, UNESCO, and their own government and also the international community, everyone is engaged and trying to get them to a place where they can feel peace." The staff member did not specify which UN or UNESCO programs were involved or provide exact dates for the evacuations or patrols.
No formal votes or policy actions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; the remarks were presented as descriptive statements about operations and protection work.
