UN chief: Number of displaced people has never been higher

Kinshasa, Feb 24: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the number of displaced people around the world has never been higher and the international community needs to improve the way humanitarian support is provided.

Ban spoke after visiting a camp for internally displaced people yesterday in Congo's eastern North Kivu province. He said more must be done to get children back to school, to ensure the dignity and rights of women and girls and to protect them from sexual violence.

Eastern Congo is home to multiple rebel groups. Ban said the UN would work with authorities, asking them not to close camps that are lacking resources. He travelled to Congo from Burundi earlier yesterday and is now in the capital, Kinshasa, where he will attend a conference and meet with President Joseph Kabila.

AP