Emergency Assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo for Flood Disaster

December 10, 1999

On December 9 (Thu), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency assistance in kind (equivalent to 22,840,000 yen), comprising sleeping mats, plastic sheets, blankets, polyethylene tanks, soap, medicines, and medical equipment, to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has sustained great damage from flooding.
Since October when the rainy season set in, torrential rain of unprecedented scale has been pouring down in the Congo Basin in the central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a result, the water levels of the Congo River and its tributaries have gradually risen, causing flooding since the middle of November in Kinshasa, the capital, and surrounding areas. At present, about 500,000 people are affected, and the disaster is expanding with the continuation of rain. In such a situation, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has since November 26 appealed for emergency assistance to the international community including Japan.
The Government of Japan has decided to extend this emergency assistance from a humanitarian standpoint, in view of the seriousness of this disaster and the friendly relations between the two countries.

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