“ELECTIONS ARE FIRST SPEP TOWARDS PEACE AND FOOD AUTONOMY”

                               copyright Burger Phanie

In view of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first multiparty elections in more than 40 years, Action Against Hunger stresses the need to continue to support the Congolese population beyond the elections.

Action Against Hunger hopes the election will herald a new era of peace and stability in a country emerging from a decade-long civil war, where 1,200 people continue to die every day in what has been called the “Most Neglected Humanitarian Crisis” on earth.

“The long war was not over ethnic or religious hatred - so coordinated assistance can build a sustainable economy,” comments Cathy Skoula, Executive Director of Action Against Hunger-USA. “However, the country has been destroyed by the war, destroying roads and leaving four million people dead, three million displaced, and tens of millions malnourished.  The ballot alone will not provide a future for the people of the Congo: to rebuild this country, people need both a hand up from starvation’s door and the economic tools to feed themselves in the future. This is why international humanitarian assistance is more important now than ever.”

Action Against Hunger has been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) throughout the chaos and war of the past decade. In its therapeutic feeding centres, the organisation treats severely malnourished people, mostly children, helping them to regain their strength and health. Beyond emergencies, the organisation is implementing water and sanitation, food security, nutrition, and health care programmes to ensure that families regain their self-sufficiency over the long-term.  

Action Against Hunger's 300-person field staff provides direct assistance to 400,000 Congolese in both eastern and western Congo, ensuring that needed assistance reaches the most vulnerable populations.

As Thierry Laurent-Badin, Action Against Hunger’s Country Director in Eastern Congo, observed, “with greater stability, we will be able to expand our efforts to provide sustainable sources of food, clean water, sanitation and basic health care. The elections are only a first step to restoring the country’s stability, and the international community should not abandon this population afterwards. People are tired of war and want to rebuild their lives in peace, but they cannot do it alone.”

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