"No time to lose" in getting humanitarian, political response right in DRC- UN Relieve Chief

There is "no time to lose" in taking action to fight hunger, rights abuses and political instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

That's the warning from UN relief chief, Stephen O'Brien, briefing on the humanitarian situation in DRC and the Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday, at UN Headquarters.

He said seven million civilians in DRC need help just to survive, and he highlighted the shortfall in funding available not only for emergency aid, but also budget cuts to the UN Mission in the country, MONUSCO.

"We simply have no time to lose. Inaction in the DRC will have dramatic consequences for the Congolese people, but also for the stability of the region. I urge you each to act now, to stop a critical situation from worsening further. We owe the millions of women, men, girls and boys of the DRC a humanitarian and a political response that is commensurate to their plight, and their will to survive."

Mr. O'Brien recently saw conditions on the ground for himself in DRC, as well as CAR, where he said the environment was "equally challenging."

SOURCE: UN Radio/ GBC