MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told Sputnik that additional funding was needed for humanitarian activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to cover a huge gap between the increased needs of the country's population suffering from ongoing violence and the authorities' response to the challenges.
"In the eastern DRC, armed conflicts are causing very important humanitarian needs that neither authorities nor humanitarian organizations have the capacity to meet. Resident communities as well as internally displaced persons have very little access to essential services and are vulnerable to attacks or sexual violence from arms carriers ... Additional funding for humanitarian actions in DRC is urgently needed, as the gap between the humanitarian needs and the response remains tragically wide," Mutsa Mugangavari, the deputy head of the ICRC regional delegation in Southern Africa, said.
At the same time, she noted that despite insufficient funding, the ICRC was doing its best to help the population in the areas most affected by conflicts and armed violence.
"Through confidential and bilateral dialogue with arms carriers and authorities, combined with aid for the most vulnerable communities, the ICRC has been able to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of persons so far this year," Mugangavari added.
The DRC has long been facing attacks against civilians by different rebel and militant groups operating in the eastern part of the country. The attacks result in regular loss of life, mass displacements and increased instability. The United Nations estimates that 6.1 million people are currently internally displaced and over 26 million across the country need humanitarian aid.
