Republic of Congo

Q&A with Peter Zangl, Director General of the European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO)

Refugees and people displaced by conflict in the central African region are to benefit from funds totalling 6.9 million euros provided by the European Commission. The money will be spent on assisting refugees in the republic of Congo (RoC) and internally displaced people in the Equateur province of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Refugees who have fled to the Central African Republic from the DRC will also be assisted.

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A refugee in the newly established Betou camp

Peter Zangl, the Director General of European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) has visited the region to assess the humanitarian situation.

Question: What is the current situation in the central Africa region?
Peter Zangl: Central Africa faces humanitarian crises on a number of fronts. In the DRC, conflict in Equateur province has led to 200,000 people fleeing from their homes into the bush as well as to neighbouring Central African Republic and RoC. ECHO is committed to helping to meet the humanitarian needs of those people as well as the local populations that are hosting them.

Q: What is your assessment following your mission to the Republic of Congo?
PZ: I was able to visit some of the refugee communities in the RoC which have settled along the Ubangui river after they fled fighting in neighbouring DRC. I saw a new camp which has just been built in Betou and it was reassuring to see how the refugees have established themselves there. They were previously sheltered at a school and in a match factory, so their quality of life has improved considerably.

Q: What are the challenges faced in providing humanitarian support in this region?
PZ: One of the main challenges for setting up camps like the one in Betou is the logistics. Around 114,000 refugees are living in up 100 different sites along a 600 kilometre stretch of the Ubangui river. I saw how low the water level is in the river at the moment so transporting material is extremely difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Other access points, for example, by road from Bangui in neighbouring Central African Republic are also problematic.

I discussed the logistical issues with partners and we believe there is scope to address this issue more forcefully. Food is not yet arriving in sufficient quantities, but we expect this to improve in the coming weeks, although the next month could be difficult. Despite the very real logistical constraints, I was impressed by what I saw, by how the refugees were being helped.

Q: What role has ECHO Flight played?
PZ: ECHO Flight is the humanitarian air service of the European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, which is based in Goma in eastern DRC and in Nairobi, Kenya. It started serving this area around six weeks ago in order to boost the logistical response to the crisis. It is a crucial intervention needed to deliver food, equipment and humanitarian personnel. This is a good example of how aid is being delivered by ECHO Flight which otherwise would not reach this remote region.

Q: What does the future hold for these refugees?
PZ: The longer term outlook for these refugees looks more promising than it has done for some time. Travelling along the river by boat, the situation appeared to be calm at least on the Republic of Congo side of the river. Several days ago, the leader of the group which took to arms and which led to the displacement, Udjani, was arrested. This is a positive development and gives hope to the refugees, although it is too early to say when the refugees will be able to return home. People will return to their villages as soon as they get reliable information that it is safe to do so.

I'm always impressed to see how dignified refugees are in difficult circumstances and that is true of these refugees. It's important that these people have a future and that means in the long term that their children should be going to school, so education is one of the next priorities for these refugees. Whatever can be done to address this need shall be done.