World Bank suspends $1 billion worth of project funding in Congo

FILE PHOTO: Congolese police officers stand under a banner for 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Denis Mukwege after a political rally of Martin Fayulu, the runner-up in Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 11, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The World Bank has suspended funding for humanitarian and development projects in Democratic Republic of Congo worth more than $1 billion after the government dissolved the project fund without warning, the lender said.

The suspension will affect more than 600,000 beneficiaries, including victims of sexual violence, the World Bank told Congo's finance minister last week in a letter seen by Reuters. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed its authenticity.