Statement attributable to the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello on the first assessment mission to Kinkala

It was with great concern that I learned of reports of the disastrous humanitarian conditions in Kinkala, the Republic of the Congo, where thousands of IDPs are close to death due to severe food shortages. In recent weeks, up to 10 people have succumbed daily to starvation.
A humanitarian assessment mission traveled to Kinkala on Wednesday, 29 September. The mission, the first by the UN since the outbreak of fighting in December last year, included relief workers from UNDP, OCHA, WHO, FAO, WFP and UNICEF as well as donor and government representatives. Owing to the prevailing insecurity in the region the Government provided the mission with a military escort. The only aid these populations have received include some food aid from WFP and medicines provided by UNICEF and WHO which were delivered by Caritas on two occasions during the last two weeks.

I appeal to the donor community to provide urgent and generous funding to UN humanitarian agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations in the Republic of the Congo to enable them to provide the much needed food aid and medicines recommended by the assessment mission.