Democratic Republic of Congo: Humanitarian Aid

(asked on 12th November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of population displacement and humanitarian need in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what support she is providing to humanitarian agencies working in that region.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 17th November 2021

Ituri is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Half its population suffer from acute food insecurity, the highest level in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (itself the world's largest food security crisis). Due to violent attacks by armed groups, more than 863,000 people have been displaced within Ituri in 2021, including 140,000 in just the past 3 months. Armed groups are also responsible for large numbers of civilian deaths, sexual violence, burning and looting of villages, attacks against health facilities, and for preventing people from farming their fields. Insecurity and attacks against humanitarian organisations are in turn affecting their ability to respond to the crisis.

As one of the largest humanitarian donors, the UK has been providing life-saving support to tens of thousands of affected people in Ituri through our funding to UN, NGO and Red Cross partners. This support includes cash transfers, emergency water and sanitation, family tracing and reunification, and sensitising armed actors to their responsibilities under international humanitarian law. The UK is also assisting efforts to reduce violence and build stability in eastern DRC, including by supporting MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission, and the DRC Government to demobilise armed groups and help local communities.

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