Half the population now affected by war

At least 24 million people of Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) population of 59 million have been affected by the country’s ongoing war, according to a new UN report. The report, prepared by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC, said that as of the beginning of the month, there were 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 10 of the vast central African nation’s 11 provinces. It said that only 50 percent of these displaced people were in easily accessible areas. Most of the people, scattered around the nation in four zones controlled by the government and three rebel groups, had remained largely inaccessible over the past two years because of sustained fighting. The relative military stabilisation after the signing of the Lusaka peace accord was short-lived. After the fighting resumed late last year, it said large displacements had ensued. “The civilian population, most notably in the Kivu, Katanga, Kasai and Equateur provinces, has been subjected to enormous deprivations and sufferings since the beginning of the war,” the report said. “There have been reports of widespread violations of humanitarian law, including mass killings, bombings, forced displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians.” The report said the ability of the UN system to help these people had been curtailed by inadequate funding of emergency projects in 1998 and 1999. This year, however, the funding situation had improved.