SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) is providing £50,000 in emergency aid to help many thousands of innocent people displaced by the recent fighting in eastern DR Congo.

The organisation is working through Caritas Internationalis, the global network of Catholic aid agencies working in partnership with local organisations in some of the worst affected areas.

The funds raised will go towards providing blankets, soap and cooking equipment to 100,000 families who have lost their homes and possessions.

Up to 250,000 people are believed to have been displaced by fighting between the CNDP forces of Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese government.

SCIAF is calling on the UK Government to press for an enhanced United Nations presence in the region to protect the thousands of people affected by the conflict, particularly women and girls who it warned are now even more at risk of sexual violence.