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| - The Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday topped an annual list of the world's most neglected crises drawn up by the Norwegian Refugee Council, which lamented a lack of media attention, diplomatic initiatives and financial aid. "DR Congo is one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. A lethal combination of spiralling violence, record hunger levels and total neglect has ignited a mega-crisis that warrants a mega-response," the NRC's secretary general Jan Egeland said. "But instead, millions of families on the brink of the abyss seem to be forgotten by the outside world and are left shut off from any support lifeline," he said in a statement. The NRC's annual "world's most neglected crises" list is based on three criteria: how well humanitarian needs are met, the level of media coverage, and attention garnered on the international diplomatic scene. The mounting conflicts in eastern DR Congo have forced around 6,000 people to flee their homes every day, and some 20 million people are now in need of humanitarian aid and protection, according to the NRC. Despite this, it said that DR Congo has not received the financial aid it needs, international political initiatives have not materialised, and media coverage has been largely absent -- apart from some "short-lived" interest in the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of Goma residents. "The Congolese are struck by a crisis of volcanic dimensions every single day due to violence and conflict," Egeland said. "Sadly, when there is no volcanic eruption, the thousands that flee their homes each day go unnoticed." According to the NRC report, eight of the 10 most neglected crises are in Africa: DR Congo, Cameroon, Burundi, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Mali. Venezuela and Honduras round out the list. "The Covid-19 pandemic has caused millions of people who were already struggling to survive in neglected crises to fall even further behind. The little income they had is often gone, needs are skyrocketing and funding continues to dry up," Egeland said. Last year, "for the first time this century", appeals for global financial aid yielded less than half the funding needed, the NRC said. In mid-May, only 12 percent of DR Congo's needs had been met. phy/po/dl
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