Seven million displaced, UN declares DR Congo crisis most neglected
By Charity Nginyu
The United Nations has sounded the alarm on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) escalating crisis, labeling it as one of the world’s most overlooked and dire situations.
Over seven million people are reported to have been displaced and more than 25 million in urgent need of aid, prompting the UN to envisage withdrawing peacekeepers by year-end.
During a recent UN briefing, Bruno Lemarquis, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator at The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo MONUSCO, emphasized the severity of the crisis, citing intensified violence and displacement in the eastern region.
Lemarquis highlighted the resurgence of hostilities in North Kivu, where clashes between the M23 group and Congolese armed forces have worsened the humanitarian situation.
Despite the gravity of the situation, analysts fear that the crisis could be overshadowed by other global conflicts.
The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced a spike in violence in the latter months of 2023.
More than 2,750 civilians were reported to have been killed in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo in the year 2023.
