Aid agencies launch joint appeal to ease Congo humanitarian crisis

Leading UK aid agencies are today (Thursday, November 20) appealing to the public for urgently needed funds to help ease the increasingly desperate plight of people affected by the recent upsurge of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Launching the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Congo (DR) Crisis Appeal, chief executive Brendan Gormley said while aid was getting through to those affected, a massive scale-up was required.

More than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to escape the fighting in recent weeks, adding to more than one million already displaced as result of the conflict.

Agencies that make up the DEC are already delivering life-saving food, water, shelter and emergency medical supplies to those affected, but the scale of the crisis means much more is needed.

“The start of the rainy season has meant people living in already desperate conditions are becoming ever more vulnerable,” said Gormley.

“Our member agencies are already reaching several hundred thousand people, but the need is overwhelming and increasing. We have got to do more and now, more than ever, we need the UK public to show their generosity.”

Charles Badenoch, Chief Executive of DEC member agency World Vision, said: “Children are being separated and orphaned by this intense conflict. Thousands of people are vulnerable to rape, malnutrition, abduction and disease. We urgently need your help to bring them relief, stability and hope.”