Food insecurity increases as vast swathes of people as forced from their homes in DRC

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that the sheer scale of people being displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to escalating conflict, is pushing food insecurity to crisis proportions and deepening an already strained humanitarian response both internally and across the region. 

WFP is scaling up its efforts to ensure lifesaving aid reaches displaced communities, but assistance is not keeping pace with the growing needs. 

Below is an update on food security and WFP operations: 

Food security inside DRC 

• Violent clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), M23, and other armed groups have uprooted more than 660,000 people since January in Goma alone, leaving these individuals without reliable access to food.
• In the conflict-affected eastern provinces of DRC, (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika) the number of people facing acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above) has risen from 6.6 million to 7.9 million. Some 2.3 million of these people are in IPC phase 4.
• Food production in North Kivu’s Grand Nord, an important agricultural hub in eastern DRC, is deeply affected by escalating insecurity and mass displacement.
• According to the latest assessment, more than 90 percent of households in North and South Kivu are facing acute levels of food insecurity, with many families forced to reduce meal sizes, eat less nutritious food and resort to begging. 
• Local food prices have increased as insecurity disrupts trade routes and market access, leaving families struggling.
• The DRC is now home to 28 million acutely food insecure people (IPC 3 and above). 

Food insecurity among Congolese displaced in neighbouring countries

• Cross-border displacement is compounding the food crisis. In the first four months of 2025 nearly 140,000 Congolese fled to neighbouring countries, with Burundi and Uganda receiving the largest influxes – 70,000 and 60,000 respectively.
• People fleeing into neighboring countries have abandoned their farms and many lack access to critical services including food, shelter and healthcare. 
• Women, children and the elderly are among the hardest hit. They rely on food aid and face increased risks in overcrowded and under-resourced displacement sites in host countries.

WFP response 

• WFP has reached 1.1 million people in the eastern provinces of DRC with life-saving food and cash assistance between January and March 2025.
  
  • daily school meals and take-home rations provided to 115,000 schoolchildren to support learning and nutrition.
  • treatment and nutrition supplements delivered to 340,000 children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls.
  • 14,000 people reached with livelihood support programs to rebuild their lives. 
• WFP is also providing critical logistics and supply chain support, ensuring life-saving food and relief items reach even the hardest-to-reach communities.

• Cross border refugee response:

• Burundi: WFP currently supports more than 80,000 refugees, including 25,000 new arrivals who have fled violence in neighboring DRC since January. In March, WFP was forced to reduce food assistance to half rations for all refugees to adjust to the limited humanitarian funding available. 
• Rwanda – WFP supports more than 130,000 refugees, asylum seekers and returnees including 16,700 recent arrivals from DRC, with food assistance through cash, in-kind aid, and livelihood support. But due to funding shortfalls, April saw cash assistance slashed by 50 percent. With a surge in voluntary returns from DRC, WFP is also providing food during transit, and cash for reintegration. Over 2,500 returnees were recorded (?) were recorded by mid-May alone.
• Uganda – WFP supports over 630,000 refugees - down from 1.6 million supported in April due to funding challenges. This includes 64,000 refugees who have recently arrived from the DRC.  Acute malnutrition rates have reached emergency thresholds (above 15 percent) in reception centers receiving new arrivals from DRC. WFP supports with hot meals, food assistance, nutrition and livelihood programs. 
• Tanzania: About 186,000 refugees from Burundi and the DRC rely on WFP for lifesaving food assistance under a strict encampment policy that limits access to livelihoods. Rations were reduced from 82 percent to 65 percent in May and will drop further to 50 percent in June. The risk of a larger refugee influxes remains high, placing further strain on an already stretched response.

Challenges

• WFP is working with humanitarian partners to ensure people receive life-saving assistance, but the needs are soaring, and the resources are not keeping pace. 
• Insecurity and ongoing armed clashes are limiting humanitarian access, making it difficult to reach the most vulnerable communities in eastern DRC.
• The shortage of food commodities is significantly impacting WFP’s emergency response, particularly in South Kivu where general food distributions were not possible in April.
• Goma airport, a key humanitarian hub, remains closed.

Funding

• WFP urgently requires US$433 million to sustain emergency operations in the DRC through October 2025. Without immediate support, millions risk being cut off from lifesaving assistance, further deepening the humanitarian crisis both at country and regional level.

• Burundi: WFP requires $16.6 million to deliver complete food assistance to refugees through the end of the year, assuming there is no additional influx. Without additional funding, food assistance for WFP’s existing caseload of refugees will be halted by October. 
• Rwanda: WFP urgently requires US$12 million to maintain full rations for refugees through 2025. Without immediate funding, cash transfers to refugees and asylum seekers will be halted entirely by August, putting lives at risk.
• Tanzania: WFP requires an additional US$ 18 million through April 2026 to provide 75 percent rations for all refugees.  
• Uganda - WFP requires US$26 million to maintain life-saving food assistance at reduced rations through 2025.