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UN relief chief visits eastern DRC, cites severe humanitarian needs and disease risks
Summary
Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief coordinator, visited displacement sites, water and sanitation projects and a mobile clinic in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and highlighted acute needs, disease risks and critical funding shortfalls.
Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, visited displaced communities and humanitarian projects in South Kivu and North Kivu provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and reported widespread needs and funding shortfalls.
According to the briefing, Fletcher visited a water supply and waste-management project in Minova, South Kivu, and a mobile clinic serving people affected by conflict. The UN said more than 20,000,000 people in the DRC need humanitarian assistance. Briefers emphasized that years of violence, displacement and lack of access to clean water and sanitation have created conditions for disease outbreaks, including cholera, which officials said are preventable and treatable if sufficiently funded.
Fletcher also visited a center for returnees where women described violence they had faced; he was scheduled to continue his visit to Goma the following day. The UN did not announce new emergency funding at the briefing but repeatedly flagged critical funding shortages as a barrier to prevention and response activities.
Ending: The UN said Fletcher will continue his visits and engagement with humanitarian partners in eastern DRC; further operational needs and funding appeals were not detailed at the briefing.
