The World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm over the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ongoing fighting and a lack of funding are forcing the agency to drastically reduce its aid, despite an alarming increase in hunger and displacement.

Hunger figures are rising sharply

A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) highlights the scale of the disaster:

1. Nearly 25 million people face acute food insecurity in the DRC.
2. Around three million of them are in an emergency level (IPC4) , a figure that has almost doubled in a year.
3. Cynthia Jones, WFP Country Director in the DRC, highlights the concrete consequences: "For families, this means skipping meals, selling their belongings and their animals ."

Mass displacement and limited access

Violence continues to ravage the east of the country, causing waves of displacement:

1. 5.2 million people are now displaced, including 1.6 million this year alone. The DRC is one of the countries with the highest number of displaced people in the world.
2. Humanitarian aid access is severely hampered, particularly by the closure of two airports in areas controlled by the M23 since January. The World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently calling for the establishment of a humanitarian air corridor to deliver aid.

Humanitarian aid on the verge of collapse

The situation is exacerbated by a critical funding crisis for WFP operations:

1. The number of people receiving food aid has already been reduced, from one million at the beginning of the year to only 600,000 currently.
2. Without immediate support of $350 million for the next six months, aid could be limited to 300,000 people – barely 10% of the need.
3. The agency fears a total disruption of supplies by March 2026.

Consequences for essential services

Insecurity and the economic crisis have paralyzed basic services:

1. Banks are inaccessible, livelihoods have disappeared, and the inability of farmers to cultivate their land is inexorably worsening the famine.

“Behind these numbers are women, children and men exhausted by violence and displacement. They need peace,” concluded Cynthia Jones.