Notwithstanding the political and military situation that continue to make the humanitarian situation precarious throughout the Great Lakes region, “a glimmer of hope shines with the ceasefire agreement in the republic of Congo,” according to UNOCHA’s mid-year review of the UN Consolidated Appeal for countries in the region. While regional and international initiatives had failed to achieve sustainable peace, and to break the cycle of displacement, malnutrition, disease and insecurity, RoC was at least moving in the right direction with a majority of IDPs having returned or returning home following the cessation of hostilities, the report stated. However, unless the government was able to generate support from the international community, “reconciliation efforts may not materialise into anything that could be called sustainable,” it warned. The combined figure of internally-displaced people (IDPs) and refugees in the Republic of Congo was over 845,000 as of May 2000 (a total that will have been boosted still further by the flow of refugees from fighting in the DRC in recent weeks), OCHA added.
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