Visit of Pope Francis to DR Congo: WFP is concerned about the hunger crisis in the country Geopolitics News

Millions of people in the DRC face food insecurity, particularly in the northeast of the country where violent conflict has displaced millions.

Pope Francis will also visit displaced families in northeastern DRC during his three-day visit.

world food programWFPAccording to ) more than half a million people have been left homeless in the past few months alone.

The UN agency has appealed to the international community for $620 million in aid to reach those in need, to ensure much-needed humanitarian assistance this year.

Pope Francis has urged young people in the DRC to fight for a better future and fight corruption.

He delivered his speech in Italian, which was then translated into French for the local crowd gathered at the 80,000-seat stadium in Kinshasa.

“You are part of a great story that calls you to take an active role in building community, to be an advocate for brotherhood, and to be an indomitable visionary for a more united world.”

strong feeling of hunger

In 2022, the UN agency will provide food and nutrition assistance to 5.4 million of the most vulnerable people in DR Congo, with particular attention to women and children affected by violent conflict.

The central African country is said to be in dire need and more than 26 million people are facing severe famine, more than a quarter of its total population.

Peter Musoko, Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme, said he had experienced first-hand the potential of this country to produce food for its people and create jobs for its young people.

He said he was convinced that with the Pope’s visit, the fate of the millions of displaced and starving people in the DRC would be heard.

“With the current urgency and limited resources, we appeal to the international community for $627.3 million in 2023.”

shelter for displaced people

Some people displaced by the violence in northeastern DRC are living in Kanyaruchinya, a temporary camp built outside the provincial capital Goma with help from the World Food Program and partner organizations.

It is here that farmer Dorati Ndagisa took refuge with her children after having had to flee to save their lives from armed groups in the province of North Kivu.

Like him, many others suffer from the conflicts over precious raw materials from 1998 to 2003 and the unrest that followed.

The conflict involved eight regional neighbors and over 100 armed groups that now terrorize communities in eastern DRC.

Dorati Ndagisa said she used to lead a stable life growing potatoes and other crops in the villages of Ti and Rugari. But she has had nothing since the fighting began and does not know how she will be able to feed her children.