3.9 million people in this vast country have died from war-related hunger and disease since 1998, according to aid agency International Rescue Committee. Medair has been active in the country since 1996.

Although the war officially ended in 2003, millions still suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by conflict and displacement.

• 40,000 women and girls have been raped
• DRC's mineral-rich east remains gripped by violence

Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said:

"Congo's huge size is exceeded only by the enormity of human suffering contained within its borders. Indeed, there are few places on earth where the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is as large - or as lethal - as in Congo."

Country Background

In 1996, a civil and regional war began in DR Congo, and then a second internal and regional conflict started in 1998. A peace agreement was signed in South Africa in April 2003, and a transitional government was put in place by 30 June 2003. The first two rounds of general elections took place in 2006, leading to a new parliament and to the choice of the first democratically elected president since independence more than 40 years ago.

The situation in the east will take many years to normalise, with many armed active militias and uncontrolled armed groups still roaming there. MONUC (United Nations) is still a major player in helping with the disarmament process. For example, it helped to ensure some security in Ituri, which is now increasingly reinforced by the Congolese National Army. However, security remains a constant concern.

The foreword of the U.N.'s 2006 C.A.P. (Consolidated Appeals Process) for D.R.C. states:

"This year is like no other for the DRC. On the one hand, the extent of the suffering of the population is beginning to be recognized. Over four million people have perished as a result of years of continuing conflict, a number which increases by some 1,200 every day and which is equivalent to an Asian tsunami each and every six months. DRC has been called the most deadly humanitarian catastrophe in 60 years. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has called it the greatest challenge currently facing the international community."
 
The number of female victims of rape in eastern DRC is so significant that United Nations’ representatives do not hesitate to talk about it as the worst example of sexual violence in the world (IRIN).
 
 Despite successful elections and the surrender of several armed groups, an alarming number of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) still require life-saving assistance and support to become self-sufficient. No one knows how quickly the country can enter a stable and peaceful phase, or how long it will take for the local population to have the real economic capacity to improve their situation. Communities in the east of DR Congo will continue to need international assistance for a number of years. In short, it remains a very vulnerable situation that could worsen again.