World has “myopic” view of Congo

The NGO, Refugees International (RI), has said the lack of field experience in eastern DRC has resulted in a “myopic view” of the country. In a statement on Thursday, it stressed that humanitarian assistance to the Kivus was essential because of the deteriorating situation there. “The hope of the Congolese people may be the next casualty of the Congolese war,” the statement said. “Regrettably, many of the problems in delivering desperately needed aid to eastern Congo are due to the fact that all major donors, as well as United Nations agencies, are headquartered in Kinshasa.

Most international staff have never visited the east due to travel restrictions imposed by donor governments reluctant to offend Kinshasa or give the appearance of lending support to the rebels.” RI said this resulted in decisions “often based on conjecture and unfounded perceptions”. “Congo is one country and its territory and people should be treated as such by the international community, regardless of who remains temporarily in control of a particular area,” the statement said.