UN says DR Congo 'facing one of most acute humanitarian emergencies in the world'

HAMILTON, Canada

A senior UN official on Friday warned that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with one of the worst humanitarian crises globally, as violence and instability continue to devastate civilians in the country's east.

"The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently facing one of the most acute humanitarian emergencies in the world. Food insecurity is rising as families lose access to their fields and see their harvests confiscated," said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, assistant secretary-general for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, at a UN Security Council session.

Noting the growing displacement crisis, she reported: "Today, 5.9 million Congolese are internally displaced, including one million in North Kivu and 1.5 million in South Kivu. Families are repeatedly uprooted, caught in a cycle of fear and constant displacement."

As recent diplomatic developments have brought some hope, including peace agreements signed in June and July with the facilitation of the US and Qatar, Pobee warned that "the evolution of the security situation on the ground has not matched the progress achieved on the diplomatic front."

"The number of civilian casualties has risen dramatically. Humanitarian workers are risking their lives to provide limited assistance to a population whose needs continue to grow. Conflict-related sexual violence persists amid general indifference. The forced recruitment of children continues," she said.

Pobee further stated that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) remain a "major threat to civilians" in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, reporting that "185 civilians, including children, have been killed since the beginning of July" while "hundreds have also been kidnapped over the same period."

"It should be emphasized, at the same time, that while commitment to process is welcome, it is no substitute for an actual cessation of hostilities on the ground and genuine steps to end the privations of conflict in eastern DRC," she said.

Calling for urgent action, she urged the Council to back ongoing peace efforts and press parties to honor commitments.

"They must place at the center of their concerns the well-being of the millions of men, women, and children who continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing crisis," she said.

Earlier this month, the UN human rights office, citing firsthand accounts, said M23 rebels killed at least 319 civilians in a series of attacks in four villages in Congo’s North Kivu province in July.

The UN, Congo, and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting M23, which Kigali denies.

Rwanda, on Aug. 11, denied that its military had aided the killing of civilians in eastern Congo farms as alleged by the UN rights office.

The rebel group, which is at the heart of the conflict in eastern Congo, controls significant territory, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, which it seized earlier this year.