10 million people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023

Kinshasa, 22 February 2023 - The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the humanitarian community today launched the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, which aims at raising USD2.25 billion to support the critical needs of 10 million vulnerable people in the country.

"Beyond mobilizing funds for vital needs, the Humanitarian Response Plan is a reminder of our common humanity, solidarity and shared responsibility towards populations affected by conflict, epidemics and natural disasters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which remains a major complex crisis and deserves all the attention it can get," said the Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC, Bruno Lemarquis.

Over the past 12 months, the humanitarian situation has been exacerbated by a spike in violence, particularly in North Kivu province where more than 600,000 people have been newly displaced since March 2022. In neighboring Ituri province, localities have been and continue to be the scene of inter-communal massacres, including in IDP sites, while diseases such as measles continue to affect thousands in South Kivu province. Across the country, an estimated 26.4 million people are food insecure, making DRC the most food insecure country in the world. Also, with 5.7 million people displaced by conflict, DRC has the largest number of internally displaced people on the African continent.

In 2022, nearly five million of the 8.8 million people targeted received humanitarian assistance. Two million malnourished people, including thousands of children, received therapeutic nutritional care; and more than 2.5 million had access to safe water, sanitation services, and health care. In 2022, humanitarian actors had appealed for $1.88 billion, of which 48% was funded, leaving millions without necessary assistance.

“Despite the international context marked by many overlapping crises, donors continue to support operations across the country,” the humanitarian coordinator added. He also praised the involvement of Congolese NGOs as an important component of the humanitarian response.

"Humanitarian assistance is not the solution to the humanitarian crisis, but it remains crucial to meet the immediate needs of millions of affected families. The combination of political solutions for the return of peace and security; win-win solutions in terms of economic development, including at the regional level; and large-scale investments in development to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals would lead to a drastic decrease in humanitarian need" said Lemarquis.

As is the case each year, the Response Plan is the result of a joint analysis between the Congolese government, UN humanitarian agencies and international and national NGOs.

"Also, it is essential that humanitarian, development and peace actors work together to reduce the vulnerabilities that generate humanitarian needs and promote sustainable solutions, as the return of peace is the greatest wish of affected populations," concluded Lemarquis.

For more information, please contact

Carla Martinez, Head of Office, OCHA-DRC, +243817061223, martinez14@un.org
Yvon Edoumou, Public Information Officer, +243819889136, edoumou@un.org
Information products on the humanitarian situation in DRC are available on sur www.humanitarianresponse.info or www.reliefweb.int