Derycke has put foward four proposals for a negotiated solution to the DRC conflict, the journalist said. He suggested a ceasefire, the withdrawal of foreign troops, an internal DRC political dialogue and measures to guarantee security at DRC's borders. The plane was carrying 127 passengers bound for Kisangani. No injuries were reported. There has been a sharp increase in cases of malaria, diarrhoea and other diseases in Kindu since then, while prices of basic food items have increased by between 200-800 percent, the report said.
Kindu airport is accessible but road, rail and river links have effectively been cut.
Kindu's main hospital is not functioning, an important medical store has been completely looted and the town's water system urgently needs diesel to continue operating. The NGO mission also visited the nearby town of Kalima, where the humanitarian situation was reported to be precarious but less serious than in Kindu. Amnesty Rape has been used by combatants on both sides of the DRC conflict to spread terror among the population and destabilise community identity, Amnesty International said in a report released today. Amnesty said rape and other acts of sexual violence were being used as a weapon of war, at times preceding or accompanying the large-scale massacre of civilians. Other serious violations of human rights committed since 2 August by both sides include torture, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, Amnesty charged in the report.