Conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken the lives of 5.4 million people since 1988 and continue to leave as many as 45,000 dead every month, according to a 2008 mortality survey released by the International Rescue Committee. Photo: Marcus Bleasdale/VII
A January 2008 IRC survey found that 5,400,000 people have died from war-related causes in Congo since 1998 – the world’s deadliest documented conflict since WW II. The vast majority died from non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition—easily preventable and treatable conditions when people have access to health care and nutritious food. At a Glance | Press Release | Full Report [PDF]
5,400,000
Congo’s loss is equivalent to the entire population of Denmark or the state of Colorado perishing within a decade. Marcus Bleasdale tells the story of the conflict and its aftermath in photographs. [quicktime video 23mb]
IRC's Dr. Rick Brennan on the Congo Crisis
In this video, director of IRC health programs, Dr. Rick Brennan, describes how survey teams traveled across Congo – by motorbike, canoe, 4-wheel-drive, and on foot -- visiting 14,000 homes to gather data.
On a beat-up off-road motorcycle loaded with backpacks, jerry cans for spare fuel and camera bags, the IRC’s Peter Biro follows one of the IRC mortality survey teams on a dramatic journey through the dense Congolese jungle.
