Internal displacement on the rise in DR Congo - Features - Al Jazeera English

Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in minerals and many believe the battle for resources is fueling conflict [EPA]

Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo - For six days Irene Kabisha has been waiting for the man with the megaphone to call her name and provide her with food.

Together with hundreds of other displaced people from eastern DRC's Shabunda district, she's in line for her share of United Nations emergency rations: 60 kilos of flour, 18 kilos of split peas, a jar of palm oil, and a can of salt. Some of them hide from the boiling sun under brightly coloured umbrellas, tired from waiting since the early morning.

When a bridge in a neighbouring village collapsed, 26-year-old Kabisha was compelled to walk to the food distribution centre in Mulamba, a day trip through DR Congo's green hills. These hillsides, not far from the broken bridge, quickly turned into a provisional marketplace.

A day of pulling cassava plants earns Kabisha a plate of rice or beans. Occasionally she transports a large cart full of fruit and vegetables, her youngest child riding on top.

Kabisha is one of more than 2.6 million internally displaced people(IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo...............

FULL ARTICLE HERE: Internal displacement on the rise in DR Congo - Features - Al Jazeera English