In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one in three people needs assistance, which is a tragic scenario of a country constantly crossed by violence. On 5 October, Bintou Keita, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), expressed her grave concern regarding food insecurity and cyclical epidemics.
Over 5 million Congolese are internally displaced and more than 26 million suffer from food insecurity. Lately, 203 people, mostly women and children have become victim of sexual abuse. In the east, particularly in Ituri, attacks on schools and hospitals weaken education and health rights and hinders development and security in the country. Similarly, in some regions of South Kivu, inter-community conflicts are fuelled by hate speech. Special Representative Keita urged the Council Members to increase their contributions to the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan as just over a quarter of the fund for the plan has been collected so far. In addition, she pinpointed two main challenges: the security and protection of civilians in the east and the process of democratic consolidation in DRC.
Ms. Keita also highlighted that the promulgation of the Ordinance on the Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization on July 5, could lead to the start of the peace process. With respect to the 2023 elections, the special representative hopes for “an inclusive and peaceful electoral process founded on dialogue, trust, and transparency”. Her conclusion urged the Council to continue supporting MONUSCO and the joint transition plan and to provide financial resources.
To learn more, please read:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102172
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/S_2021_807_E.pdf
#LOsservatorio #DRCongo #CiviliansInConflict #MONUSCO #HumanitarianAid
Author: Giulia Francescon; Editor Shrabya Ghimire
