WEB DESK
The European Union has said, it was setting up a humanitarian air bridge to deliver aid to Goma in the conflict-hit eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Goma is the capital of North Kivu province, where fighting with the rebel group M23 has displaced more than six lakh people. A European Commission statement said, the operation will deliver humanitarian support in the form of medical and nutritional supplies along with a range of other emergency items. The EU said, it was also releasing some 47 million Euros to be channelled through humanitarian partners for immediate needs such as nutrition, healthcare, shelter and water.
The EU’s commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic, said the EU stands ready to mobilise all the necessary means to support humanitarian workers, including logistics and air, to meet the needs of the population in Democratic Republic of Congo. He said, with the Humanitarian Air Bridge operation organised with the support of France and the new fund mobilisation, they reaffirm their support to the most vulnerable. The DRC government has accused Rwanda of backing the militia group M23. The claims have been denied by Kigali but supported by the US and several Western nations.
The militia re-emerged from dormancy in late 2021, subsequently occupying swathes of territory in North Kivu. France President Emmanuel Macron was in the capital of DR Congo on Saturday as part of his African tour aimed at renewing frayed ties. Yesterday, he met President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the neighbouring Republic of Congo, after visiting Angola and Gabo.