New fighting breaks out in Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving thousands homeless

WATCH VIDEO

People flee after fresh fighting erupted  around Kibati village November 7, 2008.  Fighting between rebels and government  troops flared in east Congo on Friday,  and African leaders called for an immediate  ceasefire to end a conflict the U.N. said  could engulf the Great Lakes region. REUTERS/Stringer(DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)

Martine Ndiyabaseka, Displaced Villager, said, "I do not have anything to cook with, I have not eaten for two days and have nothing."

More than 250-thousand people have been forced from their homes since rebel leader Laurent Nkunda went on the offensive in late August, and captured large swaths of the east as the army retreated.

The world's largest UN peacekeeping force are allocated here. But compared to the large number of refugees, the number is nothing.

Alan Doss, Chief UN envoy to DRC, said, "There are 10 million people in the Kivus - we have less than 10-thousand peacekeepers, which means an average of 10 peacekeepers for 10-thousand," he said.

The conflict is fueled by ethnic hatred left over from the 1994 slaughter of a half a million Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda.

Editor:Du Xiaodan