28 Million in DR Congo Face Hunger Crisis – UN

28 Million Facing Hunger in DR Congo Amid Escalating Conflict – UN

A staggering 28 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are now grappling with severe hunger — the highest number ever recorded in the country — driven by a worsening conflict between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebels in the eastern region, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The prolonged humanitarian crisis in the DRC has sharply intensified, with an additional 2.5 million people pushed into food insecurity following a recent surge in violence in December. This is according to a joint statement issued by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Out of the 28 million affected, approximately 3.9 million are facing emergency levels of food insecurity. With a national population exceeding 100 million, this means nearly one in four Congolese citizens is suffering from extreme hunger.

Fighting between government troops and the M23 rebel group — backed by Rwanda — has escalated significantly since the beginning of the year. The eastern DRC now faces its most intense conflict in decades, displacing thousands and deepening the humanitarian toll.

“The current situation is dire for the population,” said Athman Mravili, FAO’s acting representative in the DRC. “Harvests are failing, food prices are soaring, and millions are being pushed further into severe food shortages.”

More than 10 million of those enduring acute hunger are located in eastern Congo, a region plagued by insecurity and armed violence since the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide — a period that claimed millions of lives and gave rise to dozens of militia groups.

Elsewhere across the country, surging inflation and the depreciation of the Congolese franc have further diminished the ability of ordinary citizens to afford adequate food, according to the joint statement.