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Bleak picture of life along ceasefire line

    NAIROBI

    Hundreds of thousands of Congolese are caught up in a daily struggle to remain alive on both sides of a vast ceasefire line in the DRC, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC has said. In a press release, sent to IRIN on Monday, Darioush Bayandor said a UN-NGO-donor team which visited the eastern areas of Moba, Kalemie and Nyunzu last week found severe economic depression, acute malnutrition and deserted towns around the ceasefire line. “The existence of 1.1 million war displaced people within the DRC and across its frontiers is just one facet of the humanitarian drama in this country,” he warned.

    “These are sober facts with no tinge of dramatisation...they should be highlighted so that there is no excuse for lack of knowledge.” Similar findings have been reported by UN-led missions on both sides of the ceasefire line. “We are embarrassed to continue sending out these missions because they create expectations among the badly-hit population that someone is finally coming to their rescue,” Bayandor added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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