Democratic Republic of Congos five-year war officially ended in 2003, but the country is still regularly listed as the site of one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Despite having their first elected president in over 40 years and living in a country which should be rich from its gold, diamonds and minerals, millions of Congos people still suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by ongoing conflict and displacement. The country formerly known as Zaire now has a democratic government - led by President Joseph Kabila, a former guerrilla - but insecurity continues in the remote, resource-rich provinces near the eastern border. The worlds largest peacekeeping mission - a U.N. force of 17,000 soldiers and police - struggles to prevent violence and protect the population of almost 60 million. Almost 4 million people in this vast country have died from war-related hunger and disease since 1998, according to aid agency International Rescue Committee, which calculated in 2006 that 1,200 people were dying every day. - Micah Albert. There are few places on earth where the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is as large - or as lethal - as in Congo, said Jan Egeland, when he was U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:39:07 +0000
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