Despite its vast potential wealth, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the poorest countries in the world. Years of conflict have created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises:
- An estimated 5.4 million died as a consequence of the war since 1998, most from preventable diseases
- Up to 1 million people have been living in camps for displaced people within the DRC
- Malnutrition is widespread and there is a critical lack of health care and education
- People have lost virtually everything – family, friends, homes and their means of making a living
- Rape is used as a systematic weapon of war
- Fighting is fuelled by DRC’s vast mineral resources and by the flow of small arms into the country.
Oxfam in DRC
Despite the signing of a peace deal in 2002, and democratic elections in 2006, there is still instability in the east of the country. Over 1.7 million people are still displaced as a result of intense fighting between the forces of rebel general Laurent Nkunda and Congolese army soldiers and their allied militia. People have dispersed over a vast, inhospitable area without access to shelter, water, food, and medicines.
Oxfam is currently assisting over half a million people throughout eastern DRC. In camps with cramped conditions, it is vital to ensure that everyone has enough clean water. Without it, diseases will spread quickly and more people will die. At an international level, Oxfam is calling for the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC to receive the resources it needs to effectively protect civilians and ensure humanitarian access.
The forgotten conflict
The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been called the forgotten conflict. But many people here have experienced suffering they will never forget. Naomi’s story is just one of a million like it in DRC.
DRC diary
Actor Emile Hirsch travelled to the DRC with Oxfam in 2008. Read the compelling diary of his trip.
Kagwa Christopher and his wife
€25 / £20 can buy Drinking Water for 3 families from Oxfam Unwrapped. From taps and tanks to pumps and springs, this gift ensures a supply of safe water that will keep families healthy.
