News About Congo

Hunger Kills 700 Kids Per Day in Peaceful Congo

In safe areas, hunger kills 700 kids a day in five peaceful provinces in Congo.  Kasai Occidental (West) is one of those places.  There is no fighting, strife, or violence in 4 of the 5 provinces cited by the Minster of Health.  Only Equateur Province has had violence in the past months. 

These provinces are located outside of the Wild, Wild East provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu, and Orientale.  I would expect the daily death total of children and women is much higher. 

700 kids die per day in DRC.

THE Democratic Republic of Congo health minister said Tuesday that at least 700 children under the age of five were dying from hunger a day in five of the strife-ravaged country's provinces.

More than a million women aged between 15 and 49 were also malnourished in the five provinces, which together account for 51 per cent of the population of the vast central African country, Health Minister Victor Makwenge said.

'At least 700 children under five years are dying every day in the five provinces, where only one child out of five has a varied diet,' Makwenge told reporters. 'Close to 530,000 children under five and more than a million women need urgent food aid,' he said.

The minister was referring to the provinces of Equateur, Kasai, Kasai West, Katanga and Maniema. UNICEF representative Pierrette Vu Thi agreed that malnutrition was a public health problem in the country, despite its rich potential for food production.

The World Food Programme says that every month it helps to feed about a million vulnerable Congolese, including pregnant women and children.

Congo fishing rights clashes ‘force thousands to flee’

When western countries fight over fishing rights, it's a territorial dispute.  The parties go before an international group or the two governments mediate the dispute. 

But when African countries or intra-country groups fight over fishing rights.  And there is no stable or transparent government to mediate the dispute, it becomes violent.

Similar situations happen through out Congo and other African countries.  But it is really an ethnic or tribal conflict?

BBC News - Congo fishing rights clashes ‘force thousands to flee’.

More than 50,000 people have fled clashes between two ethnic groups in north-western Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks, the UN says.

Many of those fleeing are reported to be unaccompanied children, and some people have drowned trying cross a river into Republic of Congo.

The UN says at least 100 people have been killed in clashes between Lobala and Boba people in Equateur province.

The violence started last month after a dispute over fishing rights.