Jeremie’s mum died after they fled soldiers. Now he could lose another limb
HUMAN COST OF CONGO CIVIL WAR
26lb – 18lb below ideal weight. Her body is scorched and bloated from fluid beneath the skin.
Sad Mimi went on: “We were in the forest for six months living on cassava (arrowroot). Now Elysee is ill and I don’t know what to do or how to help my children. I lost everything.”
Five-year-old Martin Mutshipaya and his mother Helene Bidimwena, 29, trekked 35 miles for lifesaving treatment at a Unicef centre in Nganza.
He weighs just 24lb – half the ideal weight. They fled Demba village as militia and government troops fought.
Helene said: “The militia were killing people with arrows and machetes. My husband Daniel was sick with tuberculosis. There was no medicine and he did not survive.
“We left everything behind. We survived on cassava. When we returned our crops had died and we had nothing. Now our son is ill and we are praying he’ll be okay.” Despair lies all around us in a region battling to contain outbreaks of cholera and Ebola. And the return of up to a million Congolese after a forced expulsion from neighbouring Angola will add to the crisis.
Many were beaten, raped or abused by Angolan forces. The DRC conflict erupted two years ago after the killing of tribal chief Kamwina Nsapu, who had called for an uprising against President Joseph Kabila, 47. Militia have slaughtered thousands – and government troops stand accused of war crimes too. President Kabila has ruled since his father’s assassination in 2001. Now, with the DRC on a knife edge, the country is set to go to the polls. Rose, Helene and Mimi pray for stability... and a lifeline for their tormented children. dan.warburton@ sundaymirror.co.uk
ROSE MBWAYA MUM WHOSE DAUGHTER FACES STARVATION