The collapse of Congo's cease-fire has refocused international donors on humanitarian need, as their efforts to negotiate a political end to the war show less and less chance of success.
Fighting between government troops and northern rebels over the last three months has displaced thousands of civilians, many of them crossing the Ubangi River into neighboring Congo-Brazzaville. With both sides of this front prepared for more fighting, relief officials say humanitarian needs here will only grow.
Charles Petrie is the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Congo. He said the aid community must be prepared to act regardless of the success or failure of the Lusaka peace plan.
Humanitarian need, the suffering of the people will continue whether Lusaka works or not. If Lusaka works, then we work in a dynamic of, ah, of appeasement, or in an environment of, of appeasement and reduced conflict, which makes it a lot easier to work. If, ah, if Lusaka, the different clauses of Lusaka aren't respected, then it does make it more difficult, because we were, were into a, a logic of greater conflict, said Petrie.
Mr. Petrie said that means negotiating for access to civilians in need instead of operating freely across the lines. It also means being able to respond quickly to changing situations, where combat puts a particular group of civilians at risk overnight.
The last months of fighting drove many people from their farms before the harvest. So there are expected to be some food shortfalls along the Ubangi River. But relief officials say the greatest need here is medical.
At the hospital in the northern town of Gbadolite, women and children wait in line at the pharmacy. Dr. Alexis Bulnker said the hospital functions but just barely, each day trying to meet the minimum needs of its patients.
Dr. Bulnker said "we have only the minimum supplies of drugs at the hospital here. It's enough to keep working, but not enough to deal with an unexpected influx of civilians or war wounded."
The hospital does get some support from the aid group Medecins sans Frontieres, or Doctors without Borders. Sonja Vanosch works with the Belgian chapter of the medical relief group. She said there's a shortage of both drugs and trained local medical staff. There are already more people who need help than there is help available in Congo.
Ms. Vanosch said the number of needy is expected to rise as aid groups carry out more assessment missions along the Ubangi River, where many people are still afraid to go home.
Is difficult because the people, they don't know what to expect. They are afraid, as you see here, people go to the bush, they don't have to come back, if they hear a plane they don't think that it's humanitarian aid, but they think about another bombing. So the access to people makes life difficult, for them and, and for us., said Vanosch.
Relief officials say there's been a dramatic increase in the number of displaced civilians and areas of insecurity in Congo. In north Kivu province, for example, the number of displaced a year ago was a hundred and 20-thousand. Now, it's estimated to be more than seven-hundred and 50-thousand. That means more people in need of more help at a time when there's more fighting and less of a chance for peace.