KIGALI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- European Union Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said on Thursday that she agreed with Rwandan President Paul Kagame to look for common solutions to get humanitarian aid to people in need in the Great Lakes region.
Lahbib and Johan Borgstam, EU special representative for the Great Lakes region, met with Kagame to discuss the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a focus on ongoing continental and international efforts to address humanitarian needs.
"We discussed the urgent challenges in the Great Lakes region and the path to lasting peace. We agreed to look for common solutions to get humanitarian aid to those in need. Aid workers must be able to do their job safely and effectively," Lahbib posted on X.
Briefing reporters in the capital Kigali, Lahbib reiterated the EU's support for seeking a political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
"There is only one way to end this humanitarian crisis and that is a political solution," she said, adding that peace is not only vital for the DRC; it is also in the interest of Rwanda and the entire region.
Lahbib was in Kigali as part of a regional tour that also took her to the DRC and Burundi. The tour aimed to assess the most pressing humanitarian needs on the ground and to advocate for humanitarian access with all parties to the conflict in eastern DRC, according to a statement.
The escalation of conflict in eastern DRC is driving mass displacement.
The EU said that resources for food, water, and shelter are stretched to the breaking point, leaving women and children increasingly exposed to violence and exploitation.
As Lahbib started her visit in the region this week, the EU announced it is mobilizing 81.2 million euros in humanitarian aid across the Great Lakes, of which 68 million euros will fund humanitarian aid inside the DRC, where conflict and displacement are driving the most urgent needs. ■