In a press release issued on Tuesday 17 February, the European Commission announced that it had released a further €81.2 million in aid in response to the worsening humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region.
This package, €68 million of which is specifically earmarked for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is intended to help the civilian population affected by the escalating violence in the east of the country. The remaining €13.2 million will be allocated to Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania to support refugees and ensure that their territories are better prepared for natural disasters.
On a visit to the region, the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, highlighted a humanitarian situation on the verge of collapse: “Civilians in eastern DR Congo are trapped between bullets and hunger”, she deplored, reminding the parties to the conflict of their international obligations.
More than 21 million people are currently in need of assistance in the DRC, while the closure of Goma international airport continues to limit humanitarian operations, supply chains and medical evacuations in the east of the country. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)