Kuwait envoy calls for political solution to crisis in DRC

NEW YORK, March 19 (KUNA) -- Kuwait Representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi said the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is unlikely to end unless the concerned parties work for building confidence and reach a mutually acceptable political settlement.
Every effort must be made to prepare the ground for coming general elections and bringing those responsible for human rights abuses in the war-torn central African country, he said in a speech to the UN Security Council on Monday.
Ambassador Al-Otaibi welcomed the measures adopted by the DRC government to prepare for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections, slated for December 23, 2018.
However, he said it would be too long for the Congolese people to continue suffering from one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters until that date.
The humanitarian crisis, resulting from political polarizations, took its toll on civilians with the food shortage and insecurity deepening further, he regretted.
Ambassador Al-Otaibi regretted that the parties to the conflict in the DRC failed to implement the political deal of December 31, 2016, which led to serious deterioration of the security situation over the last two years.
Citing figures of UN agencies, he said the conflict left nearly 13 million people entirely depending on food aid and 7.7 million people suffering from insecurity.
The figures reflect 50 percent and 30 percent hikes, respectively from the figures recorded in 2017, he said, noting that there are more than two million children suffering from malnutrition.
The humanitarian needs have doubled over the last year with the number of the internally displaced people rising from 2.2 million in 2017 to 4.5 million in addition to 680,000 refugees in neighboring countries, he stressed.
Earlier today, Mark Lowcock, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed the Security Council on his recent mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Holding up a picture of a mother who lost two of her children, as well as her husband when their village in restive eastern DRC was attacked and burned down by armed militia in January, Lowcock said, "This is Mwasi Kallunga and her seven children, including her 18-month-old baby." "You all have this picture in front of you -- They fled, walked for two straight days and now live in squalid conditions under a plastic sheet in a tiny so-called shelter in a congested, cramped, unsanitary, hilly camp at constant risk of fire and flood," he pointed out.
"There is also an epidemic of sexual violence, most of it unreported and unaddressed, and much of it against children," Lowcock added, warning that without the work of humanitarian actors on the ground "things would be much worse." (end) asf.gb