EU donates €5 million to victims of violence in DRC

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo (AA) - The European Union announced Wednesday that it would donate €5 million ($5.67 million) in humanitarian aid to people in urgent need of assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo's conflict-torn provinces of Kasai.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides said the funding would help to respond to urgent needs of the internally displaced persons in the central region, the majority of whom are women and children.

"The aid will address their protection needs and provide life-saving assistance, including water and sanitation, shelter, health and food assistance. It will also enhance humanitarian partners' logistics capacity in a country where access is often problematic due to poor infrastructure and high insecurity," he said.

The Kasai region has been the scene of clashes since August 2016 when the leader of Kamuina Nsapu rebels, also called Kamuina Nsapu, was killed by police in the city of Kananga. Since then, Kamuina Nsapu rebels have caused over 3,000 deaths and the displacement of 1.3 million people.