Millions at Risk: DR Congo’s Humanitarian Crisis Spirals as Aid Dries Up

Since the beginning of 2025, conflict has intensified in North Kivu’s Masisi and Walikale territories and spread into South Kivu, including areas around Bukavu.

The humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is escalating at an alarming rate, as severe funding shortages cripple life-saving aid efforts and drive millions deeper into desperation. Violence and instability, particularly in the North and South Kivu provinces, are displacing communities at an unprecedented pace, while humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm about an impending catastrophe unless immediate international support is secured.

Since the beginning of 2025, conflict has intensified in North Kivu’s Masisi and Walikale territories and spread into South Kivu, including areas around Bukavu. This surge in hostilities has forced over 100,000 Congolese to flee to neighbouring countries in less than three months, while hundreds of thousands more have become internally displaced within the DRC itself. The city of Goma, once a refuge for nearly half a million internally displaced people (IDPs), now lies surrounded by the rubble of destroyed displacement sites, with no viable shelter alternatives available for those forced to flee.

Humanitarian organizations, led by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have warned that without a significant injection of funding, they cannot provide even the most basic support. Across displacement areas, families are left exposed to the elements, lacking essential supplies like blankets, mosquito nets, hygiene kits, and menstrual health products. In Kalemie, Tanganyika province, where more than 40,000 IDPs have arrived after enduring perilous journeys through multiple conflict zones, emergency stocks have been nearly exhausted. UNHCR currently only has 147 blankets available for tens of thousands of people.

Many of these IDPs include women and children separated from their families in the chaos of displacement and young people fleeing forced recruitment into armed groups. Survivors of these arduous 700-kilometre treks often arrive traumatized and weakened, having braved treacherous terrain and crossed vast lakes in overcrowded and unstable boats. Several tragic drownings have already been reported, underscoring the life-threatening risks displaced Congolese face in search of safety.

The crisis is not confined to the DRC. In neighbouring Uganda, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Since January 2025, over 28,000 Congolese refugees have entered Uganda—a staggering 500% increase compared to the same period last year—with an additional 10,000 expected by the end of March. Most are fleeing extreme violence and report horrific abuses, including killings, sexual violence, and torture. However, the reception infrastructure in Uganda is overwhelmed. Most reception and transit centres are operating at seven times their intended capacity, with widespread shortages of clean water, food, and medical care. Feeding centres in many areas have been forced to close due to budget cuts, contributing to a dangerous rise in child malnutrition and preventable illnesses.

Similarly, Burundi is struggling to accommodate the more than 68,000 refugees who have arrived since February, primarily in the Rugombo commune. There, thousands have taken shelter in and around local stadiums, lacking adequate sanitation and health services. Health authorities have reported at least eight suspected cases of cholera, and there are growing fears of a major outbreak. A new refugee settlement, constructed to house arrivals, has already exceeded capacity. Essential services are stretched to breaking point, with more than 400 unaccompanied or separated children and hundreds of sexual violence survivors receiving minimal or no specialized care.

The continued funding freeze has worsened already dire food shortages, threatening to push the region into a full-blown humanitarian emergency. The international community’s slow and limited financial response risks undoing years of humanitarian progress and will leave millions exposed to violence, hunger, and disease.

UNHCR and its partners have expressed deep gratitude to donors who have continued to support the response despite competing global crises. However, the growing needs vastly outstrip current resources. UN agencies are calling for urgent financial commitments to bridge the $600 million shortfall required to sustain emergency operations across the DRC and neighbouring countries.

"This is not just a funding crisis—it’s a crisis of humanity," said a senior UNHCR spokesperson. "If we do not act now, we are looking at a complete collapse of protection systems for millions of displaced people. Children will die from malnutrition, women will give birth without medical care, and communities will be left to fend for themselves amid war and displacement."

With the rainy season fast approaching, the risks of cholera outbreaks, further displacement, and escalating deaths are only expected to grow. UNHCR and humanitarian actors are urging governments, private donors, and the international community at large to respond with speed and compassion.

What’s at stake is not just the survival of Congolese refugees and IDPs—but the integrity of global humanitarian action. The time to act is now.