The humanitarian community and the Congolese Government appeal for US$ 2.6 billion to respond to the alarming humanitarian crisis

Kinshasa, 20 February 2024 – The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the humanitarian community have launched an appeal for US$ 2.6 billion to fund the country’s 2024 humanitarian response plan. The funds are aimed at providing life-saving assistance and protection to 8.7 million people in need.

For more than a year, the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached alarming levels. A new surge in violence, particularly in the east of the country, is pushing affected populations into multiple forced displacements.

The country currently has 6.7 million people displaced within its borders, amid serious flooding emergencies and a resurgence of measles and cholera outbreaks. All this has exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of a nation that has been suffering under the effects of more than three decades of armed conflict.

Beyond the immediate crises that require urgent attention, the Democratic Republic of the Congo also grapples with chronic needs and vulnerabilities. In 2024, an estimated 25.4 million people are food insecure, while acute malnutrition affects 8.4 million people, mainly children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and lactating women. “The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached new peaks this year due to the worsening of conflicts, the emergence of new tensions, and climate-related disasters. Against this background, there are men, women and children facing very high levels of vulnerability,” said the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis.

In 2023, the humanitarian response plan was 40 per cent funded. This allowed humanitarian actors to provide assistance to only half of the people targeted for assistance across the country,

i.e. five million out of 10 million people. As a result, many needs remained unmet. “This causes a lot of suffering, human tragedies, wasted lives. Too much of what was meant as temporary has become long-term. People want to return to their homes and resume their lives,” stressed Bruno Lemarquis.

More than a million children can no longer go to school due to armed conflicts. “The situation is very serious. We call on the international community to pay attention to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country’s unique potential has much to offer on the environmental, mining, and tourism fronts. But that requires peace,” stated Modeste Mutinga Mutushayi, Minister of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Actions and National Solidarity.

For more information, please contact:

Carla Martinez, Head of Office, OCHA-DRC, +243817061223, martinez14@un.org
Jean Jonas Tossa, Public Information Officer, +243817061220, tossa4@un.org
Information products on the humanitarian situation in the DRC are available at https://reliefweb.int/country/cod United Nations Nations Unies