[3] The refugees included members of the Congolese navy, which patrols the Ubangi River; they had to flee with their families because they had neither weapons nor ammunition to protect themselves.

About half of the displaced remained in DRC, taking temporary shelter in locations such as Kungu, Bokonzi, Bomboma and Bonzene.

[6] By 10 December the conflict had left 100 dead and forced 115,000 people to flee their homes, two thirds of them into the Republic of the Congo, according to the UNHCR.

The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) rushed peacekeeping troops to Dongo in an effort to protect the local population.

Military equipment such as armored personnel carriers, transport and combat helicopters were also at their disposal to support their mission.

Humanitarian agencies faced major logistical obstacles since refugees were spread across an area of 500 km2 along the banks of the Ubangi River.

Humanitarian agencies also installed six large water tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 litres near Bétou in the northern Republic of Congo, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Dongo.