november's mid-term elections will be able to vote themselves come the next election they will be voters it's going to be pretty hard to ignore the voices and ignore that shift in public opinion in this country the syrian army is close to taking full control of the single the last opposition stronghold in the capital damascus two groups have already surrendered with thousands of fighters and their families departing for rebel held areas in the north only the suburbs of duma remain in opposition hands with josh islam or the army of islam so far refusing to give in. and many of those escaping guta are heading to opposition held but the region is far from safe a car bomb near a hospital on saturday because at least seven people and a car bomb has killed two policeman and injured five others in northern egypt just two days before monday's presidential election the attack at

a security convoy as it passed a police station in the center of alexandria interior ministry says the city's security chief was the target. government leaders from the democratic republic of congo are refusing to join a donor conference in switzerland and raising money for their country prime minister jose mccullough says they won't attend next month's summit because the u.n. is overreacting about his country's needs. headlines next up its inside story. the u.n. plans a donor conference to help people in the democratic republic of congo for congolese

officials are refusing to go accusing the agency of overreacting how bad are things on the ground this is inside story. hello and welcome to the show i'm sam is a than a humanitarian disaster of extraordinary proportions that's how the un describe what's happening in the democratic republic of congo last month the country has been at war for much of the past twenty five years including recent political instability after president joseph kabila stayed in power beyond his mandated to term in office now as the u.n. plans to hold a donor conference in switzerland congolese officials say they will not attend accusing the agency of exaggerating the problem we've got a lot to talk about with our guests but first this report from charlotte ballasts.

she tried to run but marie last child fell trying to escape her attackers. one of the london militia cut me with a machete my brother helped me run away but i was also hit by two arrows on my side four of my kids were killed that same day launch of a new family are among the tens of thousands of congolese who have been injured and displaced during four months of clashes the violence is cement for decades fuelled by disputes over land sharing between haman herders and i do farmers and atory province villages have streamed into domestic displacement camps and over the border into uganda. we've been living in a very difficult situation and we don't know what the president thinks about resolving the situation so we can go back home. president joseph kabila promised to visit the displaced this week but he has battles of his own many congolese

a furious with him for clinging to power after his term expired two years ago and for refusing to call elections critics argue he's doing little to prevent the ethnic violence. problem we had problems between the two communities even before two thousand and three we controlled it's because the government was absent today all the legal and security forces are present there how can we justify then these level of atrocities this is why we're saying it was then willingly by the authorities. a leader with one of the tribes says both sides are being manipulated . we have form a militia members without jobs in our community and it's easy to manipulate them the enemy of our province is profiting from the unemployed young boys in order to destabilize it to every province the un is warning of a worsening situation thirteen million people need humanitarian assistance four point six million children are acutely malnourished and there's nipa dimmick of

cholera and six violence if nick troubles in a hurry province just one crisis within many for a country racked by conflicts charlotte dallas for inside story. that's bring in our guest then in the congolese capital kinshasa joining us on the line cloud mashallah national executive secretary of the ruling party the p.p.r. d. in geneva the bobber launch spokesman for the u.n. high commissioner for refugees and in london vava tampa founder of save the congo a london based campaign for human rights in the democratic republic of congo thanks for joining us it's actually start with claude so here is a statement i got from the u.n. security council there talking about thirteen point one million people in need of aid seven point seven severely food insecurity are the numbers wrong sir. if i can test something directly since like that there is

a kind of dangerous mist mixture what you're doing expressly. as you start talking about. keeping power refusing to step down and so and so on you. after that to talk about. humanitarian crisis if you are suggesting that there is a kind of. clarify so we didn't actually use the words refusing to step down we did explain a bit of the background of the history of what's been going on in the you know they think their humanitarian right now or beyond the ten. factual actually that humanitarian crisis has nothing to do a free election not with politics as you know. you. in. the story you can. see that it's all community

you two. two two two two two sides. it is alleged. so many problems. which are nothing to do of politics you know and today. decided to order international community decide to head. in a context which was not sure that the object is to as you put i think. just willing to cede to show. the line the government. is not doing enough to effie's people and so. you see just. kind of. brought against all you know country and wishing that. both of you are going to go up there then the serious religion about

. being a part of great is of course absolutely and just to point out perhaps you missed it sir but we did mention as well in the intro the country has been at war for much of the past twenty five years so that's obviously a problem that predates the arrival of joseph kabila to power so there was no insinuation on our part the whole problems of the r.c. vice so wholly on the question of whether or not joseph kabila stays in power let me take the question though. to our guest because some of our other guests a few of you haven't really addressed that and if i can take it to the perhaps to bob barr in geneva the criticism that we've heard coming from officials is that the u.n. is really exaggerating the situation in the d.n.c. by announcing this sort of level three state of emergency is that has there been some exaggeration there are there seen warning levels of displacement as well and it's quite complex inside the d r c we were turned in and with the government in

terms of being around half a million refugees that are currently inside that the r.c. let's not forget we are talking about four point five million easily displaced who are from the r.c. displaced inside and then the refugees as the report was mentioning who have been arriving in the neighboring countries or seven hundred thousand d.-r. see this ricci's connelly's refugees are in the neighboring countries or the i think the point cloud not making a moment ago but if you give me a sorry forgive me for jumping in is that perhaps the picture can emerge from statements like that that the government is unable to deal with the crisis and claude would argue that is in accurate our really is actually just this scenario inside d r c and those who are so. to sleep like you know in the

jury that you were just seeing the images as well is is just being focused on i mean we don't have enough resources as human the chains i mean they're keeping politics aside or here we're talking about the impact of everything what is happening on civilians which is affecting millions we think that donors and others are still getting what the humility to needs our country by saying that government is one of our most important partner on the ground all right let me briefly give an opportunity for cold to address that before we'll go on to volume london i know you get to get involved just briefly claude will you accept that sort of characterization that perhaps the most concerned should be now of the government should be that people shouldn't be forgotten people in need should not be forgotten by the international community why is your government more water aid about its

image being. the first. international media are you stupid. remember that. before the better mobutu. for the country. by. the rebels and so on that they start showing on. the repenting you know and. all of the international community. not putting about helping us remember what happened we got three zero zero years ago with about to move. some of them about we've been quite good. and nothing happened nothing happened but why.

it's months before the election. why are you suggesting though that perhaps there was a deliberate attempt on the path of aid agencies maybe even on the u.n. to disrupt elections by making these sorts of announcements of level three emergencies. that. i think. is. going to. stop everything they can to specify. ok. now we have. to see. how to reach.

allies. ok let's take that point to volley in london do you see that the one aid agencies what the u.n. is doing is part of a plot to undermine the government in a sensitive political time like elections. it's extraordinary to hear what mr musharraf has put forward i mean here we are speaking about thirteen point one million congolese in need or support in need of assistance and yet all that he has been doing is defending his belly defending his pocket and protecting kabila and he's doing so because of one reasons he's doing so because he understand they have been practicing a political corruption and he understand that this conference on the humanitarian crisis in congo is going to held and his regime accountable for the killings for

the displacement for violence we've spoken about to reach another science another scene of crisis is actually a society where again millions of people are in need of humanitarian support and we know precisely in places such as we know that the government has instigated to violence we have seen massacre happening it has claimed thousands of lives it has claimed to you were an expert i mean this is a crisis which the government has created and he needs to remember miss clode must remember that the election has not been know organized by the government in just the by mr kabila he had an opportunity to organize election from between two thousand and eleven to two thousand and sixteen he did not he was given one year to organization again which was last year he did not and now he's been given another year by nikki haley which and this december and clearly they are struggling because

they do not have any intention of organizing election and all of the sudden death refusing to major like the very same people who had kept them in power who had given them money who has sustained them in power it's you speak thousands of words perhaps if we go back to claude once again i'd like to try to get you to clarify so what exactly is it that you think the u.n. is really. thing that he's inaccurate about your country is it the figures when it says thirteen point one million is in need of aid and seven point seven severely food insecurity is that the categorization of being in the state of level three emergency what exactly do you think is inaccurate and on helpful to your country's image the u.n. is doing things that. kind of talking about corruption criminality. and.

said. you said in your. doing. both then what is happening to my country. talking about mr musharraf is supporting the call to action and i tend to tell you that. doesn't know anything about it says ok. ok you know what the u.n. is willing. but if i could i wonder. has the u.n. building demolition has the u.n. going to stop growing but if you need to. see why you know i think you need to. ok now. let's. think about.

the election. two thousand no ok let's take that question who are you know that we have. organized before. more i'll give you a chance called to come back in on some of those points but if you may let us go to bob barr in geneva why then is the u.n. raising this now as claude i think feels that this is an issue that has been going on people in need. why now for us it's well important that the focus goes back to the people who are suffering people to be as human the humanitarians are receiving our thousands who are fleeing the wyland. and the horrible a constant giving us in uganda upstream from the tury and not as well let's not forget each year we as humility ariens have to present

a plan for the year in terms of how many people are supposed to assist and help in terms of humanitarian east we just yesterday as units the un refugee agency launched another appeal of around a billion or five hundred million dollars for around eight hundred thousand congolese refugees which will be in the region so twenty important that we don't lose sight of who is suffering peace and stability in iraq you allow me and i want to come and see you in geneva allow me to present you an alternative opinion one could say and could argue this is not the first time the un has been accused of exaggerating a crisis will remember of course the no diet nigerian president accused the un of hype back in december two thousand and sixteen he said the un was pricing hype to

draw donor support in june two thousand and ten we had the council of europe accusing the un w.h.o. of exaggerating the threat of h one n one virus has the un sometimes got it wrong but we are seeing in terms of refugees arriving in the neighboring countries people being displaced are on the ground in or most suffering and as i was talking about people who are arriving in uganda right now it from me to read and i'm not keeping a province i. our destiny for this year for refugees arriving in uganda from the g.s.t. was sixty thousand. crossed that estimate just in the first three months and still thousands continue to arrive on the shores of lake albert and shorty of them are women and children have lost everything and with the cost. coming.

out the military. allow me to jump in forgive me for interrupting you let me take that point briefly back to claude before we go to volume london so cold the answer to your question i think is is that i've babar is explain to us here that the number of refugees they've seen crossing over into uganda in places like that the number of displaced people those sort of movement has picked up recently that's why they put out this urgent appeal and attempt to put out a donor's conference does that not make sense to your mind it's next. number. talking about. it actually what we know is that all those agency. that just doing business you know that making a lot of money i think that last month we show the

media look at. four by four. to see where it's been. you know. just across minerals and own. heart. that just think that the first to talk to our government before the police e.g. . about what is going on it's just cruel people are crossing the border to uganda. just. sitting for their own business not for helping your port done not helping people they're just making money guys they are not helping people so they're just making my left i can see valan london you've been shaking your head for a while let me give you a chance to come in on that one. again simply extraordinary to he can release men

in kinshasa essentially dismissing a valley as to me it was a valley to be put in attempts to support and sustain the lives of the can only speak for and we all to ask ourselves serious question which is why is mr mashallah keen to dismiss the plight of the congolese people why is he refusing that thirteen point one million communities in need of support perhaps he should give us a number which his regime the regime of mystical in can just have estimated how many of them perhaps they are i mean again. let me all you have a question on the one i recollect questioning the will come back he's how many people do you recognize are in need of aid and what level of emergency would you put on that i think that the first talk to the government before. giving to. international. opinion that kind of numbers then the

government have an element i mean you know the i think so i think so. they were not only thank you thank you three of the ruling party could you tell us what that number is i'm not a career i am not in the government. right but i'm not in the room don't count the i i not familiar with the number of. fold over into that kind of managing if you're just twenty four hours so no i think that. this top post first talked about government never done that ok talking about to go there don't need it you are just about to but you aren't pushing that. is what the pocket not for those people supposed to be need all right let me come back to van you know i promise to give you vine london a chance to continue your thought go ahead i think. a few more your viewers would

understand from these essentially is that mr mashallah is speaking for me la la land is simply doesn't have a clue and simply isn't in touch with the actual crises that the communities people are facing on the ground and that speaks volumes in terms of his politics in terms of his priorities in terms of what mr kabila as regime essentially attempting to do on the ground and again. allow me to and i need to prove we present to you as well perhaps the counter opinion to that the attempts by the opposition to enforce a sort of ghost town shut down in kinshasa and so on didn't materialize i'm sure supporters of the government would say that it's the opposition to the government is trying to spin this politically and doesn't really in is not really in touch with the will of the people as the failed shutdown displays. i'll tell you what we are the coolest people are under occupation and when you're living under

occupation as other countries have across the world this situation living conditions incredibly difficult we have no managed to do while we have done and the difficult situations and the reason mr cabul has been unable to. constitution the reason is regime has been unable to cling to power or to the tempting is because the coolies people has paid with their lives and they have a danger of their lives and they continue to do so every single day but now let me bring us back to this humanitarian crisis because this is incredibly serious we know in custody for instance there are four hundred thousand children risk of dying from starvation if they do not receive humanitarian support and went to humanitarian assistance right now you have a government that has been in power since two thousand and one and yet that government dovish in continue remained unable to do anything substantial in support of the cornice people cost the country thirteen point one millions and all of that

this situation has been exacerbated by it is a very fact we don't have a very diverse because you know as we were using the i think that's one that we can all agree on afraid we are out of time so let's let's thank our guests very much claude babar and varvara and thank you too for watching you can see the show again any time by visiting our website al-jazeera dot com for further discussion head over to our facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash a.j. inside story you can also join the conversation on twitter our handle there is at a.j. inside story from me sam is a dad and the entire team here it's good bye for now. my.

just is instilling the same. sun journalists decided to sacrifice their integrity for out in the media opinion that listening biased at this time on al-jazeera. april on al-jazeera from the stories beyond the headlines phone lines examines the us his role in the wilds fifty years since the death of martin luther king we examine the impact of his assassination and the state of race relations in the u.s. today the award winning show thrives returns for another season with stories about solutions to some of the greatest manmade environmental problems as the first meeting since the friends it vote is set to take place in the u.k.

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