SIX MILLION DEAD IN CONGO'S WAR

[Hannah Bell]

Over six million people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the deadliest conflict since the Second World War.

A study published by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in January 2008 said that 5.4 million people had died from 1998 to 2007 in Congo, with 45,000 more victims being added to the death toll every month.

With Congo’s war showing no signs of abating, this would put the death toll at 6.9 million today.

“Six million dead is a staggering figure that should jolt the international community into providing greater protection for Congo’s civilian population,” said Fr Pierre Cibambo, a Congolese priest who works at Caritas headquarters in the Vatican.

http://www.caritas.org/activities/emergencies/SixMillionDeadInCongoWar.html