Kuwait- UNHCR's Grandi calls on int'l community to stand with DR Congo

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, April 23 (KUNA) -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has called on Friday for stepped up international support and solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said the UNHCR in a press release.According to the UNHCR, DRC is a country struggling with one of the largest internally displaced populations in Africa and a generous host to half a million refugees fleeing conflict elsewhere in the region.During a three-day mission to the Central African nation, the High Commissioner travelled to the DRC's northern region bordering the Central African Republic (CAR) where according to local authorities 92,000 refugees have arrived in the past four months, following post-election violence in CAR.Meeting with refugees in this remote area, Grandi heard accounts of brutal violence, and personal loss.He also praised the crucial role played by Congolese communities on the border that have taken in those fleeing armed groups in CAR "In this isolated area where poor road conditions make delivering humanitarian assistance a huge challenge, local villagers have provided life-saving assistance by sharing their modest shelters and limited food with the refugees".Grandi added, "We need greater commitment and solidarity with this country and local communities that continue to open their arms and their homes to refugees, despite having very limited resources." As the security situation remains volatile, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working to relocate refugees away from the border, to safer sites.Grandi commended local communities at the new sites who have offered land to the newly arrived refugees and welcomed children into their schools."Refugees can grow their crops alongside the host community, become self-reliant, access local health services and schools. This is real inclusion." Severe underfunding has affected the humanitarian response in the DRC.UNHCR's 2021 appeal of USD 204.8 million is just 16 per cent funded. (end) ta.gta MENAFN23042021000071011013ID1101971163