MSF warns more help is needed

The NGO, Medecins sans frontieres-Belgique (MSF-Belgium), on Thursday sent 22 mt of medical kits and logistical equipment for use in eastern and northern parts of the DRC. In a press statement, the organisation said the assistance was intended for people affected by measles, cholera and bloody diarrhoea. However, it warned, that despite the pressing need for humanitarian assistance, this alone was not enough. “Due to insecurity, civilians do not always have the means to reach health centres and, in areas close to the fighting, they are afraid to return home to work on their land,” the statement said. MSF found that while the situation was improving in areas such as Basankusu, any resumption of the fighting could again see the emergence of malnourished children who were now regaining weight. There were similar problems in Bolomba, a town divided into two by the fighting. People who fled to nearby Mbandaka were returning, but “timidly”. In Kisangani, despite the presence of UN troops, the population was still traumatised by the fierce fighting they experienced last year and fearful of further combat, MSF said.