Recent regional conflicts and military actions affected the global community, forcing a large number of people to become refugees. Forced to escape the place of violence, these people move to different territories, usually without resources to support themselves. The refugee crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one example of how refugees suffer because of poor healthcare access and the inability to provide for themselves. The global community has to create a response strategy to help refugees reintegrate into society and support their adaptation to new living conditions.
The conflict in Congo has been an ongoing issue for many years, yet the crisis faced by the refugees has not been addressed adequately. According to BBC, Congo has been the center of “Africa’s world war” (“DR Congo country profile,” 2019, para. 1). However, state officials do not appear to have a clear strategy for mitigating military action or helping the refugees. According to the CIA Factbook, the Democratic Republic of Congo has vast natural resources (“Democratic Republic of the Congo,” 2020). However, the inhabitants of the state cannot benefit from these resources because of corruption and military conflict. Therefore, the refugee crisis is an issue of political and military nature, requiring a multidimensional approach.
Congo’s example showcases the issues regions with unstable political and social environment’s face. CIA even recommends the United States citizens to reconsider a decision to visit Congo because of the ongoing civil unrest that poses a threat to both foreigners and locals (“Democratic Republic of the Congo,” 2020). Moreover, the refugees are facing additional difficulties because of Ebola outbreaks and the inability to access healthcare services. This type of disease can spread quickly across the population and affect a large number of people, making access to healthcare a priority in refugee camps.
Refugees cannot access many of the essential services and take advantage of opportunities. As was mentioned, in Congo, the refugee crisis coincides with Ebola outbreaks, and the refugee population is especially vulnerable to the disease. Refugees usually leave their homes out of fear because of violence, which forces them to flee as fast as possible. As a result, they can lose connections to their community, children can no longer go to school, and their parents are unable to go to work. Moreover, for people who rely on growing their own food, such displacements affect their ability to have adequate nutrition. Therefore, they are deprived of the basics and live with uncertainty because they do not know if they will be able to return home.
International non-profit organizations try to relieve the suffering of refugees. According to BBC, “some militias fight on in the east, where a large United Nations force is struggling to keep the peace” (“DR Congo country profile,” 2019, para. 15). Due to issues with rapid displacement and inability to support themselves, these people rely on the financial support and resources provided by organizations such as the UN, which are limited.
The global community does not have an effective way of responding to refugee crises. It is evident that other states cannot engage in the internal conflicts that happen in Congo unless the situation is threatening other countries as well. However, the community can find an effective way of helping the refugees, since, in recent years, the number of conflicts that force people to live their homes and run away has increased. If the conflicts continue, it is possible that other countries will face the problem of supporting foreign refugees as they move across borders to find safety.
To conclude, the global refugee crisis has to be addressed by developed states, to ensure that the struggles faced by refugees are relieved. Although the global community, for example, the UN, have shown some efforts aimed at helping the refugees in Congo, the crisis is more complex and required additional action. The experience gained from the refugee crisis in this state showcases a need for a worldwide response strategy to the refugee crisis.
References
- Democratic Republic of the Congo. (2020). Web.
- DR Congo country profile. (2019). Web.