After 20.000 civilians were forced to be displaced in the east of the country, UNHCR called for urgent and reinforced measures to protect civilians

Refugees from the Congolese Tutsi community in the Great Lakes region have petitioned the UN Security Council to denounce the human rights violations they suffer in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

The country has accused Rwanda of using refugees for political purposes, after its neighbour said it would no longer take in people fleeing violence

Local sources from Kibumba on Monday, reported that the expected withdrawal of the M23 rebels from Kibumba - 20 km from North Kivu capital Goma, is still "not effective"

The value of the carbon retained by the Congo Basin forest is $30 billion a year, making it the most important tropical carbon sink