Geneva, 22 mar ( EFE).-the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC) are mired in a crisis human “desperate” that fails to attract the attention of the world as other conflicts and that has become a “forgotten crisis”, as reported today the UN.
The Director of the regional Office for the coordination of Humanitarian affairs of the United Nations (OCHA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Barbara Shenstone, said in press conference that the DRC is a “desperate in terms of human needs, development and peacekeeping”.
“There is a huge food insecurity, 70 per cent of the population – some 63 million – live below the poverty line and there are 1.7 million people displaced by the armed conflict,” explained Shenstone.
Also said that there is an epidemic of measles and routine outbreaks of other diseases, while added that countrywide is facing a cholera epidemic that has spread by river basins to regions in which, so far, was not an endemic illness.
Shenstone regretted that you despite this, the situation in DRC “does not attract the attention it deserves”.
“Is a kind of forgotten crisis.” “You don’t have the same political profile, or somehow does not attract the attention of the world in the same way as other major crises, such as the of Middle East, Asia, or even other parts of Africa,” criticized.
Shenstone regretted that the annual humanitarian appeals for the DRC “for several years not told with sufficient funds” and he added that 14 per cent of the humanitarian appeal for DRC of 2012, 719 million dollars (546 million euros) has been achieved until now.
“what is requested is not nothing compared with what is needed for the 63 million inhabitants.” “This is already a chronic conflict in which there is a need for extreme protection Basic, food and water,” thought the representative of OCHA.
Shenstone recommended that “serious consideration” be made on programmes funded to see “what works well and what is not” and thus try to improve the approach to resolve this crisis.
The current situation in the country is, according to the representative of OCHA, “particularly fragile” by the lack of Government, because since the last election in November, still has not formed the team of authorities.
To this lack of political organization is added during the last months a surge in activity of the Lord Resistance Army in DRC, armed as it explained still active at least with Joseph Kony – leader of the movement – and two other leaders.
“attacks by these groups are feared by citizens by the atrocities committed and the abduction of children.” “In recent years 347.000 people have fled the province of Orientale (North-East) and they have not returned for fear of thinking that the guerrillas might be there,” he concluded. EFE
