Abidjan - Some 2.5 million people are estimated to have died during nearly three years of war in the eastern Congo, a US-based aid organisation said yesterday. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which earlier this year conducted a mortality survey in five Congo provinces, said the death rate was "stunningly high", with huge losses among children.
Mr Michael Despines, IRC head of mission in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said relatively few deaths - about 200,000 - were directly related to violence. "An overwhelming majority of deaths are due to disease and malnutrition."
Mr Despines said healthcare structures had collapsed. Mortality was particularly high in Katanga. The IRC, which will publish a detailed report on its findings next week, hoped the start of troop withdrawals from the region and the deployment of UN peacekeepers would increase access to populations in need. However, peace hopes have been dealt a blow by Uganda's decision at the weekend to pull out of the peace process.