Goma, 28 February 2012 – A fire erupted on 28 February at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ntoto, a village located about 50 km west of Walikale, in eastern Nord Kivu province.

The makeshift IDP camp, which lies close to a peacekeeper base of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), was virtually destroyed by the blaze stoked by the cool winds typical of this highland region in the far east of the DRC. Swift action by MONUSCO Indian peacekeepers enabled them to rescue what was left of the fire victims' belongings, and more importantly, to save human lives. Many wounded were given medical treatment by peacekeepers. It is unclear what caused the fire.

Ntoto is one of the villages in the Walikale territory that are prone to insecurity due to the heavy presence of local and foreign armed groups. Many of these villages have been deserted by their inhabitants because of recurrent outbreaks of fighting among these rival armed groups, or with the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC). The FARDC have been trying to restore State authority in the region after a decade of war between armed factions.