Low graphics   |   Mobile      Login   |   About us      
Fri, 11:15 27 Nov 2009 GMT17

 
Congo (DR) conflict

Last reviewed: 22-07-2009

CONGO CONFLICTS DEFY PEACE


Democratic Republic of Congo's five-year war officially ended in 2003, but the country is still regularly listed as the site of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Congo should be rich from its gold, diamonds and minerals, yet millions of its people suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by ongoing conflict and displacement.

  • 5.4 million dead since 1998 from war-related violence, hunger and disease
  • Congo is the size of western Europe
  • Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped

    The country formerly known as Zaire now has a democratic government - led by President Joseph Kabila, a former guerrilla - but insecurity continues in the remote, resource-rich provinces near the eastern border. The world's largest peacekeeping mission - a U.N. force of 17,000 soldiers and police - struggles to prevent violence and protect the population of almost 60 million.

    About 5.4 million people in this vast country have died from war-related hunger and disease since 1998, according to aid agency International Rescue Committee, which calculated in 2007 that as many as 45,000 people were dying every month.

    "There are few places on earth where the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is as large - or as lethal - as in Congo," said Jan Egeland, when he was U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.


    Unlike some other content on this website, the written content in this article may be republished or redistributed by any means free of charge. Any use of photographs and graphics on this website is expressly prohibited. You must check whether written content contained in other articles on this website may be republished or redistributed without the express permission of Reuters or the relevant third party provider.

    • Related articles

    Breaking stories
     Africa Congo gunmen fire at U.N. helicopter, five wounded

    Africa Congo rejects criticism of UN-backed force

    AlertNet insight
     Africa WFP to give out food aid to thousands fleeing ethnic conflict in Congo

    Aid agency news feed
     Africa DR Congo: Innocents trapped between Government and Interhamwe Rebels.

    Blogs
     Africa Trials not yet a deterrent to rapes in Congo

    Maps
     Thermal Activity Detection over Nyiragongo Volcano, North Kivu, DRC


    AlertNet for journalists

    AlertNet for journalists is a set of tools and services designed to make life easier for reporters, fact-checkers and editors when covering humanitarian emergencies.
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-19T192441Z_01_AFR11Y_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR11Y.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-19T191710Z_01_AFR12Y_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR12y.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-19T190456Z_01_AFR10T_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR10T.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-19T190036Z_01_AFR09Y_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR09Y.htm

    United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) personnel secure a Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (CAA) passanger plane that crashed in Goma airport, November 19, 2009. The CAA MD-80 airliner ...


    More pictures | Galleries

    * Denotes mandatory entry      Rate this item *  
    • Currently 4/5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5


    Name: *     Email: * 
    I am: *     


    Comments:

    Enter the code shown on the left *




    URL: http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/ZR_CON.htm

    For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org