Call For Aid: 33 Children Die Of Hunger In Congo Refugee Crisis

News Desk

Kampala: Nearly 60 internally displaced people have died from starvation, including 33 children and 27 adults (17 women and 10 men) in the central Congo province of Kwilu, according to the Provincial Humanitarian Commission on Friday.

Over 4,600 displaced people from Kwamouth territory in Mai-Ndombe province are now living without food or other assistance, having fled to Bandundu territory in the neighbouring Kwilu province camp, stated UN Radio in the Congo.

Kwilu Humanitarian Actions Senior Advisor Frederic Nkumpum said that the deaths were recorded since the group’s arrival in Bandundu territory at the end of August.

Nkumpum further stated that the number of displaced people stands at 4,669 in Bandundu. The Provincial Humanitarian Affairs Commission continues to appeal to stakeholders to come and assist our displaced people who are living in precarious conditions, he added.

Displacement is common in some parts of the Congo, where rebels and militia groups attack villages and kill residents, resulting in people fleeing to safer places.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Congo currently hosts 6.2 million internally displaced people. AA/APP