UN Humanitarian Chief Highlights Dire Crisis Amid Rebel Control in Eastern Congo

The recent visit by Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ humanitarian chief, to eastern Congo shines a harsh light on a worsening crisis largely ignored by global powers despite its devastating human toll. In areas seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, tens of thousands are forcibly displaced, deprived of basic needs such as food, medicine, and shelter. Fletcher’s assessment after touring refugee camps in North and South Kivu is stark: “The needs are enormous.” Yet this warning comes amid a backdrop of failed international resolve to address the root causes of instability in one of Africa’s most resource-rich but conflict-ridden...