Maurer who arrived in the country’s capital Kinshasa yesterday is expected to travel travel to Goma, in the east of the country. He is to meet with senior government officials and with leaders of the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Among what he is expected to discuss with Congolese officials are the consequences in humanitarian terms of the country’s conflicts, and the ICRC’s operations to meet the most urgent needs of the people directly affected.
Maurer said, ‘In North and South Kivu, thousands of people are enduring the effects of large-scale displacement and serious violations of international humanitarian law on a daily basis amid nearly universal indifference. In Katanga and eastern province, there has also been a resurgence of violence. My visit must serve to draw attention to the plight of people weakened by years of high-intensity conflict.’
The ICRC opened its delegation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 35 years ago. It is currently carrying out its activities across the country from offices in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Beni, Uvira, Dungu, Kisangani, Lubumbashi and Kananga, and from outposts in Kirumba, Masisi, Walikale, Fizi, Lulingu and Minembwe.
