WHO Raises Alarm Over Malnutrition Crisis in DRC
The Health Organization said this was the result of widespread, growing and recurring food insecurity in areas affected by years of conflict.
On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that more than a million children are at risk of acute malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Related:
China Confirms the Death of 6 Citizens in the Congo by a Terrorist Attack
The Health Organization said this was the result of widespread, growing and recurring food insecurity in areas affected by years of conflict.
In addition, a recent escalation of violence in the ongoing conflict in the east of the country between Congolese forces and the M23 militia has forced more people to flee their homes.
WHO called the situation “catastrophic” and said it is saturating water and sanitation systems, causing disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles and mpox.
In other parts of the country, severe flooding and landslides, as well as long-standing conflicts, have increased the needs of the population.
With more than 25 million people affected, WHO said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest number of people in the world in need of humanitarian aid, but remains severely underfunded.
He added that assistance is “severely limited by the military presence around displacement sites and health facilities, bureaucratic impediments and roadblocks that disrupt aid delivery”.
The UN agency called for immediate action and “sustained and unhindered access” to address basic needs, urging the parties to work together to restore peace.
