Caritas providing aid and
breaking the silence on the crisis in DRC’s Kasai region
Conflict has devastated the Kasai region of the Democratic
Republic of Congo and caused what is being rated as one of the most serious
humanitarian crises in the world today.
By Linda Bordoni
A wave of violence has transformed the Greater Kasai
region of the Democratic Republic of Congo into one
of the most volatile regions in the world today.
What began in August 2016 with the killing of a local chief
by the Congolese armed forces, led to the killing of over 3,000 people and the
displacement of more than 1.4 million.
The current humanitarian crisis in Kasai is rated as one of
the most serious in the world where it is estimated more than 10 million people
will need aid in 2018.
Caritas, the Church’s aid organization, has launched
an emergency appeal for the war-affected population where time is running out
for millions. That’s why it has called the appeal is called “It’s time to break the silence.”
Caritas International Belgium has been present
in the DRC since 1960 and is working in partnership with local dioceses.
Caritas’ Willem Vervaeke told Linda Bordoni
about the organization’s three-pronged approach to the crisis and about the
current situation in Kasai.
Vervaeke explained that thanks to the work and coordination
between Caritas International and Caritas DRC, aid is reaching the most
vulnerable through the distribution of food, essential household supplies and hygiene
kits. “We launched this appeal at the end of last year due to the urgent
humanitarian situation” he said.
Caritas’ threefold response
Vervaeke said Caritas has a three-level response, the first
of which tries to respond to the basic needs of food and other basic
necessities.
He explained the second response is what is known as the
‘Humanitarian Watch System’ in which all partners collect and transmit
information about the humanitarian situation in specific local communities and
this information is then used to orient the humanitarian response in the area.
“So each actor knows exactly where to go and what the
specific needs are” he said. The third aspect, he continued, is called RRMP –
Rapid Response to the Movement of the Population: a mechanism coordinated by
the UN which aims to maximize the efficiency of the response to particular
needs.
Situation of the people
As regards the current situation of the people Vervaeke said
“At the moment it remains very volatile. Towards the end of 2017 we had the feeling
it had stabilized a little and numbers of displaced people were beginning to
return to the region” but, he said, “since January we are seeing pockets of
violence erupting again, for different reasons”, sometimes along ethnic lines,
sometimes it’s between the armed forces and local Kamwina Nsapu militias. “
Tension is erupting again, and humanitarian needs are
increasing” he said.
He says this is reflected also in the unprecedented UN
appeal for 1.6 billion dollars in humanitarian assistance for 2018, much of
which is linked to the situation in the Kasai region.
Vervaeke said formerly displaced people who are back in the
region and are in host communities are completely destitute: “they have
missed three agricultural seasons and have no food and no means to pick up
their lives again: the situation is very dire”.
He said the situation is largely neglected also because the
news that is filtering through the mainstream media is mostly linked to the to
the political situation in the country, to the democratic process and
elections.
Funds received so far do not cover urgent needs
“We have to remember the humanitarian situation is crucial and
at the moment the money received by the international community does not cover
the needs that are present in the county”.
“We have only received between 1 and 10% of what is need on
the ground. So we really urge the international community to come to help the
Congolese people” he said.
Vervaeke also invited individuals to click onto the Caritas
website and go to the “It’s time to break the silence campaign” which explains
the background to the crisis and encourages people to act also at a personal
level.
He concluded noting that Pope Francis’ recent call for a Day
of Prayer for Peace in DRC also had a huge impact in raising awareness and
providing impetus to the humanitarian work being carried out in the region.
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