The United Nations has issued a pressing call for humanitarian aid to assist millions of individuals affected by conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Bruno Lemarquis, the DRC humanitarian coordinator for the UN, revealed that by April, only about 15 percent of the required resources to aid 8.7 million people had been mobilized.
“The needs are immense and they exceed what we are able to provide,” Lemarquis expressed to the press.
The troubled region has been plagued by militias for decades, stemming from regional conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s.
Recent tensions have escalated since late 2021 when the M23 group, allegedly backed by Rwanda, began seizing large territories.
Lemarquis shared that the total amount of aid planned for 2024 stands at 2.6 billion dollars, highlighting the inadequate resources available for a sufficient response.
“We do not have the resources to provide an adequate response and we are obliged to make priorities,” he stated, pointing out a concerning trend of underfunding humanitarian efforts in the DRC over the past decade.
During a visit to Goma, Belgium’s ambassador to the DRC, Roxane de Bilderling, echoed Lemarquis’ sentiments, acknowledging that the conflict’s military aspect is exacerbating the situation.
“It’s getting worse and worse,” de Bilderling remarked. However, for Modeste Mutinga, the Congolese Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, the diplomatic solution appears limited.
Mutinga criticized the international community for failing to impose sanctions on Rwanda, which Kinshasa sees as an “aggressor”. “Congolese opinion senses that this is some kind of plot against the DRC,” Mutinga expressed.
