An estimated 13.1 million people in Congo are now in need of humanitarian assistance.

Bunia, where more than 61,000 internally displaced persons are now registered

An even larger number of Congolese from Djugu territory have been displaced inside their own country.

Between March 3 and March 5 alone, 2,043 Congolese fled to neighboring Uganda, bringing the total for the year to 48,105, according to figures provided by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Some local Hema activists suggested that up to 85 percent of Hema people from the Djugu region have been made homeless

In recent weeks, a wave of armed assaults has spread across Djugu territory in Ituri Province in the east of this nation, emptying whole villages. While the overall death toll is uncertain, there is reason to believe it may reach into the hundreds; witnesses and activists said that 34 villages had been attacked. Since December, an estimated 150,000 people have fled their homes, according to humanitarian workers in the region.