Tracking - Renewed Fighting in Congo

[Humanitarian situation in the camps - Footage from NTDTV]

Eventually, we become desensitized - or at least, it's hard to imagine not becoming numb, always confronted with the same story, only the details somewhat different.   Violence, civilians fleeing, slaughter and hunger.  Earlier today, someone wrote a comment on an earlier posting, about "feeling powerless".

And I don't think we're powerless, though I think sometimes our expectations far exceed the resources at our disposal.  This might be heretical, but humanitarian agencies can't end conflict, or poverty, regardless of the rhetoric.  As long as there are people like Bashir and Mugabe, there will be more than enough suffering to go around.

That said, I think we also lose sight of just what humanitarian relief actually means.  It means that tens - hundreds - of thousands of people in Darfur or Congo don't starve, it means women who don't die in childbirth, and children who don't die of easily-prevented diseases.  And, on that scale, every little bit helps, whether its volunteering at home, or donating money, or simply ensuring that atrocities don't pass unnoticed.

And now, putting away the soap-box - below is not only the most recent update from Congo, but also a wonderful quote from I.F. Stone:

- First, the good news - the ceasefire seems to be holding around Goma.  Now, the bad news - there's been renewed fighting north of the city, in Kiwanja, between rebel forces a pro-Government militia.  The fighting started yesterday, and continues today.

- Thousands of civilians are fleeing the area, many of whom had already fled the fighting last week.   Aid workers have also had to suspend operations around Kiwanja and nearby Rutshuru.

- The UN has also confirmed that three refugee (or technically IDP) camps near Rutshuru have been "destroyed and emptied of inhabitants".  Before the rebels captured Rutshuru last week, these camps sheltered roughly 50,000 people.

According to a UN spokesman: "We and our partners are now trying to determine the whereabouts of tens of thousands of internally displaced people [IDPs] from the camps in the Rutshuru area."

There are also reports that another large IDP camp near Kibumba - which recently held at least 26,000 people - has also been destroyed.  Many of those people are now seeking refuge at Kibati camp, near Goma.

- Meanwhile, rebel commander Laurent Nkunda threatened the Congolese Government if they refused to negotiate: "If they refuse to negotiate, it will mean they will be ready to only fight and we will fight them because we have to fight for our freedom."

(N.B. It might have been slightly more accurate if Nkunda had said "we have to fight to protect our ability to continue to extract valuable minerals from the territory we control," though granted that would have been somewhat less stirring.)

- The BBC reports that "UN peacekeeping troops in Goma have been ordered to fire on any armed groups trying to enter the city."

UN has also begun sending reinforcements to Goma.

For a map of the area, see here.

For the most recent OCHA Humanitarian Situation Update (from today), see here.

There's also an excellent post on Refugee Internationals' blog World:Bridge, describing the situation in the camps around Rutshuru before the most recent fighting.

And, finally, the I.F. Stone quote:

"The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins.  In order for somebody to win an important, major fight one hundred years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing - for the sheer fun and joy of it - to go right ahead and fight, knowing you're going to lose.  You mustn't feel like a martyr.  You've got to enjoy it."

And, as last night showed, sometimes you actually do win.