Africa Business Radio

A U.N. official says a funding shortage means humanitarian aid will have to be cut for many of the nearly 10 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo facing multiple crises because of lack of money.The U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in the DRC, David McLachlan-Karr, says millions of people in the eastern provinces are victims of long-simmering inter-ethnic conflicts and conflicts over natural resources.He says the situation is particularly concerning in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces, as well as territories in northern Tanganyika. These protracted conflicts, he says, have left millions of people destitute and in urgent need of assistance.He says it will be difficult to provide that aid because only 27% of the U.N.'s nearly $2 billion appeals for this year has been funded.