Human suffering grows as conflicts intensify

The last three months have seen the humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region grow significantly worse, with best estimates showing a 19 percent increased in "affected populations" requiring assistance, while those populations have also become more vulnerable. The increase in affected populations - from 3,300,419 in May to 3,932,421 as of 19 August - was mostly attributable to "continued instability in the region arising from the intensification military activities on various front", a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, received by IRIN, stated. Urgent measures needed to be taken to alleviate the suffering of affected populations - varying from emergency assistance in DRC, Republic of Congo, parts of Uganda and Tanzanian refugee camps, to shelter and reintegration efforts in Rwanda and Burundi - but the donor response to the various consolidated appeals remained poor, the report said. For more detail, see separate report of 30 August headlined: "Great Lakes: Humanitarian situation worsens significantly"