Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg: Statement on visit to DRC

Noon, 15 June 2011

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

My mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo in early June took place in some of the most troubled areas of the country, in South Kivu and Province Orientale where violence, displacement, deep poverty and fear continue to affect Congolese civilians. I am particularly concerned that thousands of people live in fear of attack by armed groups, who kill, maim, rape, kidnap, loot and burn down houses. Those who flee are in the most remote areas, often living in isolated communities. This remoteness makes them even more vulnerable as bringing aid is a logistic challenge.

In Dungu, for example, I met displaced families who are staying at Linakofo camp, with no prospect of going home soon. These families and thousands others are victims of the senseless violence of armed groups, notably the Lord’s Resistance Army and copycat groups. The isolation of many of the affected villages is a major challenge.

In the Kivus, 1.2 million people remain displaced due to attacks and insecurity. These displacements are occurring in the more remote areas where access is difficult because of insecurity but also because there are few roads.

In Bunia, I heard from aid workers and peacekeepers about the challenges they face in trying to provide aid and protection as insecurity prevents them from reaching around 30% of the people who need help.

But what I saw in parts of eastern DRC also shows that the situation is evolving. The return of 600,000 people to their homes in South Kivu is a testimony to the massive humanitarian enterprise that has managed to address, and continues to address, humanitarian needs.

As you know, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast country, and part of the problem for both people on the ground who need aid and for the humanitarians trying to get to them is that it is simply very difficult to move from one place to another. The places where people need help are increasingly in very remote areas, including in the Kivus, in Province Orientale, and in Province Equateur. These are also the areas where armed groups prey on the civilian population.

As humanitarians, there is not much we can do about armed groups and the LRA. But we can take actions that will improve people’s plight. Among humanitarian partners we need to revisit our analysis of security, and seek ways that allow us to stay, rather than to leave. When we do that, when we have more access, we can gain better understanding and more information on humanitarian needs and then provide the life-saving assistance.

There are some areas where I think more involvement from the international community will also bring stability to people encouraging a normalization of their lives:

• First, stabilization efforts and development initiatives should be expanded, in particular in these remote areas. Roads, schools, or water schemes are some of the priorities my interlocutors highlighted.

• Second, the Government should increase local administration and police in these remote areas. This includes working further on increasing the capacity of national police and military so they can provide better security. The international community has a great role to play here in assisting the Government in doing so.

• Third, MONUSCO and the humanitarian community should replicate the good practice that has emerged in the past few years that have helped stabilize the situation in parts of the Kivus and Ituri district to the remote areas in Province Orientale and outlying areas of the Kivus.

I was deeply touched by what I saw in Congo and particularly by the resilience of the Congolese people, who have endured so much. As humanitarians, we cannot end the suffering of the people, but we have to continuously try to do more to limit it.

Thank you