Mahatma Gandhi had said, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” And the evil effects of war still continue in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

The wars of 1996 and 1998 have resulted in a persisting humanitarian crisis in Congo. As per the report of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), about 5.4 million people have died since 1998 as a result of the continuing conflict in the country. The Second Congo War officially ended in 2002. But it has left the country in a deadly and critical condition. Still there are a number of small conflicts in the eastern provinces like North Kivu of the Congo Republic.  

Due to the aftermath of the deadly war, the DR Congo is considered to be the deadliest humanitarian crisis ever faced by any country of the world since the World War II. Congo, the third largest country on the Africa map, has suffered from great disturbance in the social, economic and political scenarios. The country has suffered a loss of over 3.9 million people between 1998 and 2004. But, record shows, only 10% of the deaths was caused by violence.  

Majority of the Congolese died as an aftermath of the Second Congo War. The principal causes of the deaths in the country are malnutrition, pneumonia, malaria, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, neonatal conditions and diarrhea. More than 50% of people died from these apparently preventable and curable diseases! Violent deaths have become isolated events throughout the country. Congo is suffering more from the consequences of the bloody wars.  

Can’t we stop wars? Can’t we think of the devastation caused by wars in the lives of millions of innocent people? Can’t we help people to recover from the nightmares of wars?