Charities will launch a multimillion-pound appeal today to help people affected by violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after giving warning that the full extent of suffering remains hidden deep in the tropical jungle.

More than 250,000 people have been forced from their homes to escape a flare-up in the Congo’s continuing cycle of violence, adding to a million already displaced.

Yesterday rebels made good on a promise to pull back from two front lines to allow United Nations peacekeepers to police a buffer zone.

Aid agencies that make up the Disasters Emergency Committee, including World Vision, Save the Children and Merlin, said that a massive increase in the humanitarian response was needed.

Juliette Prodhan, Oxfam’s country director, said: “We need access to the people hanging out in the forests where there is insecurity. We need food, shelter, blankets, water. The rainy season is here and a cholera epidemic is coming if we don’t sort things out.” She added that many of the displaced were hiding out of sight.

“In a strange way the people in the camps are the lucky ones,” she said. “There are problems with insecurity and they need more protection but they are at least visible. The ones hiding in the forest are frightened to death.”

Meanwhile, Tutsi rebels under the command of General Laurent Nkunda pulled back from positions they won from the Government in a rapid advance at the weekend.

UN patrols confirmed the withdrawal of several hundred fighters deep in Virunga National Park, about 100 miles from the regional capital, Goma. General Nkunda, who is seeking direct talks with President Kabila, ordered the move after meeting the UN peace envoy and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.

General Nkunda’s rebels, some armed with spears, still hold positions five miles from the city. Tens of thousands of displaced people are crammed into miserable camps around Goma. They were forced to shelter under plastic sheets or in makeshift lean-tos as a tropical rain-storm passed overhead.

The black volcanic soil turned to thick, sticky mud and children bathed in puddles.

Lord Malloch-Brown, Britain’s Africa Minister, toured the camps yesterday before heading to the Rwandan capital Kigali for talks with President Kagame.

Mr Kagame has repeatedly denied backing General Nkunda to gain influence over the Congo’s rich mineral deposits. Lord Malloch-Brown said that the region’s rich tin ore and coltan seams were a key factor in the conflict.

“Not just Rwanda but all the neighbours have to make sure they are not supporting this criminal political economy by being the exit route for minerals,” he said. “President Kagame has a role to play but it is a mistake to put it all on his shoulders.”

Lord Malloch-Brown also said that it was vital the UN Security Council passed a British and French resolution on Wednesday night to deploy a further 3,000 peacekeepers to bolster the 17,000 strong force.

To make a donation, go to website www.dec.org.uk, or call 0370 606 0900 (landline calls usually charged at national rate, depending on your phone provider; mobile call charges vary)

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