Congo Refugees Crisis

DUBIE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - DECEMBER 11: An unidentified elderly woman lies on the ground next to her son and belongings as she is one of thousands of newly arrived refugees who gathered outside a military base on December 11, 2005 in Dubie, Katanga Province in Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have been fleeing fighting between the Congolese army and Mai-Mai rebels in Eastern Congo. These refugees are some of the victims of the civil war that started in 1996. Many people have moved from area to area the last years trying to find safety. About four million people have died in Congo since 1996, making it the deadliest humanitarian crisis in recent memory. Most of people have died of preventable diseases such as malaria, measles, diarrhea, respiratory infections and malnutrition. The health system has collapsed and very few people have access to healthcare. Congo is planning to hold general elections by June 2006, the first democratic elections in forty years. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)