DR Congo refugees 'losing families'

12 April 2012

More than half of the people displaced by the latest fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo have become separated from family members, aid agencies have claimed.

The survey showed 63% of displaced people in the camps around Goma in eastern Congo had lost contact with at least one close relative during the conflict.

More than a quarter (26%) had lost a child, and 17% had lost their husband or wife.

Brendan Gormley, chief executive of the Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC), said: "The people in the Congo have endured terrible physical conditions and this survey gives a glimpse of the emotional turmoil most of them are enduring too.

"Families have been torn apart by war. Many of those we surveyed have no idea if their children, spouses and other close relatives are alive or dead.

"As well as providing life-saving water, food, sanitation and medical care, many charities are trying to reunite families. To do this, we need the help of the British people.

"We urgently need your donations to reduce the suffering and bring hope to the Congo."

The survey was produced by Oxfam, World Vision, Save the Children, Action Aid and Merlin.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in