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Congo


Country Statistics  
Latest IDP figure:
Number of refugees:
(Originating from the country)
19,734 (UNHCR, June 2008)
Total Population:
3,99 million
18 April 2007

IDPs and returnees face lack of support


republic_of_congo_destroyed_house_in_the_pool_region
Destroyed house in the Pool
region
Four years after a peace agreement brought an end to more than a decade of conflict in the Republic of Congo's Pool region in the south of the country, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and residents still face considerable humanitarian challenges. Although the number of IDPs has decreased and the situation is no longer characterised as an acute humanitarian crisis, the majority of the displaced who have returned to Pool are facing hardship. No systematic assessment of the number of IDPs has been undertaken. However, the government estimates that there are still 7,800 people unable to return to their homes, down from 800,000 at the peak of the disturbances in the 1990s. The displaced are not easily identifiable as they live with families and host communities.

Since the end of the fighting in 2003, little has been done to reconstruct and rehabilitate social and public infrastructure in Pool region. The fighting between Lari rebels and the government in the region resulted in massive organised looting, the burning of houses, destruction of the rural economy and infrastructure, as well as devastating the social fabric of the Lari people. Despite much rhetoric, since the end of the conflict the government’s efforts to invest in the recovery and development of the region have not reflected the level of the needs. For instance, no comprehensive health care service has been provided to the population of Pool where the mortality rates are higher than in the rest of the country.

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"Causes and Background","Background","Causes of displacement","Peace efforts"
"Population Figures and Profile","Global figures","Geographical distribution"
"Patterns of Displacement","General"
"Physical Security & Freedom of Movement","General"
"Subsistence Needs","Food","Shelter and non-food items","Health","Water and sanitation","General"
"Access to Education","General"
"Issues of Self-Reliance and Public Participation","Issues of self-reliance","Public Participation"
"Patterns of Return and Resettlement","General"
"Humanitarian Access","General"
"National and International Responses","Overview of National and International Response","References to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement"

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Recent report 
MDRP Joint partner mission report 2007, Multi-Country Demobilization and Reintegration Program, 30 October 2007
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