Press Release: Democratic Republic of Congo: Commission provides a further EUR 5 million in humanitarian aid to vulnerable people

The European Commission has allocated €5 million to assist the most vulnerable people affected by the recent conflict between the army and irregular militias in Katanga in the south east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 4 October 2006. The humanitarian consequences of the conflict have been grave. 300,000 people have been affected. Most villages and fields in central Katanga have been looted or destroyed. Half of the population have fled their homes, settling in camps, hiding in remote forest or marsh areas or seeking refuge in Zambia or Tanzania. The Commission is already funding relief operations in Katanga and throughout the DRC for €45 million this year. The aim of the additional funding is to provide direct assistance to the most vulnerable – displaced people in Katanga, returnees and host communities. In February, the Commission, together with the United Nations, launched an overall Humanitarian Aid Action Plan for the DRC bringing together all the key actors involved in helping to alleviate the suffering of the Congolese people (see IP/06/153).

• Primary Source