Insecurity in North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the displacement of an estimated 650,000 civilians, the largest number of people to have fled their homes because of conflict in the region in the past three years, a spokesman for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

"The province has witnessed the worst IDP [internally displaced persons] situation in three years, with 163,000 more IDPs having been displaced since January," Jens Hesemann, spokesman for UNHCR, told IRIN on 16 July.

UNHCR and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on 13 and 14 July distributed blankets, cooking utensils and soap to 10,000 displaced people in the Buganga area of North Kivu, most of whom are being hosted by local families or have sought shelter in schools and other public buildings.

Violence between armed groups and the national army or clashes between rival militias in North Kivu have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn region in recent years. Civilians were often targeted by armed groups fighting each other and, indeed, the largest numbers were displaced in 2006, fleeing fighters loyal to the dissident General Laurent Nkunda.

The displaced people had become a burden to host communities who were finding it difficult to support themselves in an increasingly volatile area, according to Hesemann. He said UNHCR had sent camp management teams to the area in a bid to improve conditions.

"We are not sure if some of the IDPs who have benefited from our assistance have become victims of plunder by armed men," said Hesemann.

Aid workers fear that worsening insecurity could impede relief work among vulnerable displaced civilians.

"In coming days, we plan to visit more sites in the Kisharu area where the situation is deteriorating quickly. We coordinate with MONUC [UN peacekeeping mission] troops in order to deploy mobile teams in areas where IDPs need physical protection," Hesemann added.

UNHCR had urged armed groups in the region to refrain from attacking civilians and subjecting them to arson, looting and rape, he said.