North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo An International Rescue Committee team in North Kivu province was able to carry out a delivery of critical supplies, after the launch of a new military offensive last week interrupted humanitarian assistance and raised concern about the safety of civilians. An emergency team distributed 850 fuel-efficient stoves to displaced women in Nzulu Camp in Masisi territory over the weekend as part of an IRC programme to prevent sexual assaults that frequently occur when women leave camps to collect firewood.

Intensified violence and the increased presence of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province are forcing interruptions in humanitarian aid deliveries and putting civilians at heightened risk. On Tuesday, Rwandan troops entered North Kivu as part of a joint offensive with the Congolese army in order to drive out Rwandan rebels (the FDLR) that have been present in Congo since 1994.

Kasai Occidental, Democratic Republic of Congo The International Rescue Committee is contributing essential drugs to emergency interventions in the Kasai Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to an epidemic of Ebola haemorrhagic fever. The Congolese minister of public health declared an epidemic in the Mweka health zone on 10 September 2008. Since that date, Ebola has been the cause of 13 deaths; there are currently 42 suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization.

The IRC is saddened by the tragic killing of Seguin Tshisekedi during the night of the 11th of December. Mr Tshisekedi diligently worked for the IRC since 2003 as a Data Entry Assistant in our Bukavu office. The IRC is currently providing support to Mr Tshisekedi's family during this painful time and awaits further confirmation surrounding the circumstances of his death from the ongoing police investigation.

With a four hour round trip on foot to college each day as part of the deal London law student Paul Doran has been living on 67p a day for the last two weeks to raise funds for those affected by fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. 67p is equivalent to $1 a day – the amount that a billion people around the world, including many of those caught up in the violence in North Kivu, have to survive on.

Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo Women and girls in eastern Congo's North Kivu province are once again suffering increasing levels of sexual violence amid renewed conflict, instability and widespread displacement of civilians. An International Rescue Committee team conducted a three-day assessment of conditions in Kibati Camp, north of Goma, where roughly 55,000 people have settled. The team found that women and girls are being raped both in and around the camp.

Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo After a brief disruption on Friday 7 November as gunfire was heard around Kibati camp and its residents fled in panic, the IRC emergency response team returned to the camp on Sunday. Most of those who fled the fighting on Friday trickled back over the weekend and, as our team reached the camp, late arrivals were just beginning to re-establish shelters.

Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo The International Rescue Committee’s water and sanitation team has been carrying out cholera prevention and response in war-affected North Kivu, seeking to limit the spread of the disease in high population centres. "Cholera is endemic, or cyclical, in certain areas of North Kivu; but the most recent fighting and population displacement increased risk," said Leon Tizie, IRC environmental health programme manager.

Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo The International Rescue Committee's rapid response team was forced to call off distribution of firewood in Kibati camp north of Goma on Friday after gunfire nearby caused widespread fear among civilians. The camp, housing around 75,000 displaced civilians, emptied rapidly as families loaded belongings on their heads and fled toward Goma, about 10 kilometres south. The IRC has been in Kibati camp since Thursday morning distributing firewood to residents.

London “Women and girls are in urgent need of protection as fighting continues in North Kivu,” Bob Kitchen, International Rescue Committee (IRC) country director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said today. “Vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse in a highly unstable environment where armed groups roam with impunity, women and girls are particularly at risk of harm when they have to leave camps or population centres to collect firewood for cooking,” he added.