DR CONGO
The main road into Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is full of men, women, children and old people fleeing from the conflict that is ravaging their villages. They seek a safe place to sleep.
Some days earlier, fighting between the Congolese army and rebel groups led by warlord Laurent Nkunda had flared up again. His troops are accused of massacring, torturing and harming thousands. The violence is fed both by political differences, land rights and greed for natural resources.
It is sometimes called Africa’s “world war”. Once again it is the local population in the firing line. In just a few days, more than 100,000 newly displaced people arrive in Goma and the surrounding areas.