The violence perpetrated by militias exposes more than 3 million children forced to move and live in precarious conditions, notes the report published on Friday 19 February by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which stresses that the lives and future of these children are threatened in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the whole world turns a blind eye.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, in its eastern part, has been the scene of violence for more than two decades, with almost total indifference from the international community. In the east of the country, a series of attacks with machetes and heavy weapons have forced the population to flee with only the bare minimum. Entire families were killed with knives, including children. Health centres and schools are ransacked, entire villages are burned to the ground, » the UN agency said.
The UNICEF* report calls for an end to the conflict, which is exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. According to UN figures, there are currently 5.2 million displaced people in DRC, more than in any other country except Syria. Half of them have been displaced in the last 12 months.
JAM
