The northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) saw an outbreak of diarrhee sanglante (severe, bloody diarrhoea) this week following last week's cholera plague, a UN official told Xinhua on Thursday.

As of this Tuesday, 132 cases of diarrhee sanglante have been reported in the fourth brigade of the government forces, stationed in Bunia, capital of the Ituri region, confirmed Michel Bonnnardeaux, spokesman of the mission of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to the DRC.

The brigade, consisting of 2,800 soldiers, was reorganized last week and deployed to Ituri, when 800 troops were infected with cholera, leading to 30 deaths. The Ituri region borders Uganda and is frequently haunted by tribal violence.

At present, the brigade suffers under harsh circumstances. There are no tents, no food, and no drinking water available in the barracks, sanitation and survival depending only on the inconsistent relief sent by NGOs and UN peace-keeping troops.

Due to the impossibility of isolating the infected soldiers and their family members, totaling up to 1,700, under the current circumstances, the plague may spread throughout the country, the UN mission to DRC warned on Wednesday.

The mission also called for the DRC government to offer necessary supplies to the troops.

Source: Xinhua