An ongoing humanitarian crisis  Although gradually improving the humanitarian situation in the DRC remains critical. Congo is lacking hospitals, access to safe water and adequate sanitary facilities. Life expectancy remains low at the age of 50.6 for women and 47.3 for men, and child mortality is 109.5 per 1000 births [1] . The country is constantly facing different epidemics; measles and even plague, [2] with HIV/AIDS a major threat. The humanitarian situation is unlikely to improve quickly when the DRC is not fully at peace. Even when this does occur DRC will still be one of the poorest countries in the world with little infrastructure.  [1] United Nations Statistics Division, ‘Democratic Republic of the Congo’, World Statistics Pocketbook,  accessed 5 January 2014  [2] Piarroux, R. et al., ‘Plague Epidemics and Lice, Democratic Republic of the Congo’, letter Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol.19 No.3, March 2013,