Masisi Territory is a territory

Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The provinces and districts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are divided into 192 territories and communes...

 in the Nord-Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

. It is one of the places subject to the conflict between the Congolese army and militias, which has plagued the eastern Congo since the ending of the Second Congo War

Second Congo War

The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...

. Hutu

Hutu

The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...

 and Tutsi

Tutsi

The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....

 militias originating from the Rwandan genocide

Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...

 and civil war are involved in these episodes of conflict, which also relates to Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

n border security and the control of eastern Congo's minerals.

Masisi Hospital, run by aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières

Médecins Sans Frontières

' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...

, treats civilians and fighters from all sides of the conflict. The town is inaccessible much of the time, due to fighting, despite the presence of the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 peacekeeping mission known as MONUC.

Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation over 40 years ago it has worked in 50 countries and currently employs 3,200 staff in 25 countries around the world. Concern works to help those living in the world's poorest countries to achieve real and...

, an Irish humanitarian organisation, provides emergency assistance to displaced people in camps, displaced people in host families and vulnerable host communities in Masisi territory. In 2009/10 Concern Worldwide's emergency assistance programme will provide non-food item

Non-food item

Non-food items are items other than food. The term is especially used in humanitarian contexts, when providing NFIs to those affected by natural disasters or war may be a life-saving priority....

s, food security

Food security

Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...

 and cash for work assistance to over 10,000 families in Masisi territory. Concern has been working in Masisi since 2004.

Masisi territory has an area of 4734 km². The local languages spoken are French, Swahili

Swahili language

Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...

, Hunde

Hunde

The Hunde are an ethnolinguistic group of about 200,000 people located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Hunde live in the province of Nord-Kivu and the regions of Masisi and Rutshuru. The language of the Hunde is Kihunde, and alternate names are Kobi and Rukobi...

 and Kinyarwanda.