A spokesperson for the ethnic Tutsi rebels in eastern Zaire declared a unilateral cease-fire on Nov. 4, allowing for reparation of refugees who wanted to return home to Rwanda. The trek home began and thousands of children went alone. Their parents lost or dead when the fighting broke out in the refugee camps.
Children strain the capacity of the aid agencies in the area.
They clog the emergency compounds set up to care for them. Refugees continue to come across the border at a rate of nearly 100,000 a day. Aid workers are overwhelmed. The International Committee of the Red Cross is working to redirect children to their home villages. Central Africa Crisis web-site stated that they are redirecting lost children to their home villages.