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Current Requirements (US$)$2.58 billion
Crisis overview and projections
The DRC stands at a crossroads of historical challenges and ongoing crises. Rich in landscapes and resources, its eastern region has faced significant upheavals. In 2023, the escalating conflict displaced over 6.38 million people (as of August 2023), primarily from the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, making the DRC the second African nation with the highest number of displaced persons after Sudan. The western provinces of Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai-Ndombe have also experienced persistent intercommunal conflicts since June 2022, with widespread humanitarian repercussions.
Despite its vast agricultural potential, a staggering 25.4 million people in the DRC, or one in every four Congolese, are severely food insecure. This crisis is especially evident among the younger generations: 8.4 million people, predominantly children under five, face malnutrition risks—a number that has surged by 2 million in just a year. Moreover, the human rights situation is alarming. Incidents of sexual violence and severe violations against children increased in 2023, the latter by 41 per cent, compared to the same period of previous year (January-June).
Bushagara displacement site, Goma, DRC
A mother shares a moment of connection with her son, amid the challenging circumstances of displacement.
OCHA/Francis MwezeThe DRC grapples with some of the world's most complex humanitarian challenges. An estimated 8.7 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance, stemming from a mix of ethnic, territorial, and resource-based conflicts, compounded by natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Decades of armed conflict have traumatized the nation's social fabric, with violence tragically becoming a norm. In addition to the fighting involving the M23 and the related crisis in North Kivu, the ongoing unrest in Ituri with ADF’s and CODECO-related violence, inter-community violence and ongoing unrest in South Kivu, Maniema and other provinces are of deep concern. The upcoming December 2023 elections also pose the risk of additional strife and potential instability.
The health situation, especially in the east, remains dire. Epidemics frequently emerge, with measles affecting 126,000 people from January to 10 September 2023, and cholera impacting another 29,000 (suspected cases) during the same period. Devastating floods have claimed over 600 lives, particularly in Sud-Kivu's Kalehe in early May 2023.
The forecasts for 2024 are concerning: over 25 million people are anticipated to face increased needs, with about 21 per cent of the population likely to experience acute food insecurity. The multifaceted challenges of the DRC, ranging from conflict to health emergencies to natural disasters, underscore the urgent need for global attention and complementary responses.
Bulengo displacement site, North Kivu, DRC
Displaced people learn how to weave baskets.
OCHA/Francis MwezeResponse priorities in 2024
By the end of 2023, the humanitarian community in the DRC is expected to have assisted an estimated 7.15 million people, or 72 per cent of the 2023 target of 10 million people. This is a slight drop compared to the 7.4 million reached in 2022. The efforts from June to December 2023 were particularly intensified through the IASC system-wide scale-up activation, focused on the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. Financially speaking, as of 31 October 2023, the humanitarian community in DRC has secured US$820 million, which equates to 36.4 per cent of the funding requested in the 2023 humanitarian response plan.
Bulengo displacement site, North Kivu, DRC
Young people collect water from a designated water point.
OCHA/Francis MwezeIn 2024, as outlined in the multi-year HRP 2023-2024, the humanitarian strategy will address the core humanitarian concerns: population movements, food insecurity, malnutrition, epidemics, and protection incidents. Humanitarian partners will direct their attention especially to areas where these challenges intersect most severely. Additionally, humanitarian actors will appeal to development actors to intensify their support in "grey zones" - areas where the population’s needs are due to structural challenges and not directly tied to conflict or population movements. As experienced in 2023, hurdles like security concerns, lack of infrastructure and bureaucratic constraints might amplify the complexities of the humanitarian response. Despite this, the Humanitarian Country Team is committed to bolstering accountability to affected populations, deepening community ties, and leveraging local partnerships to fortify institutional and operational capacities.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Negotiating humanitarian access
Obtaining humanitarian access has been a persistent hurdle for smooth humanitarian operations. The Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG) was established in Ituri in August 2022 to address this and inspired an innovative "joint mission" approach to negotiate and streamline humanitarian access.
From January 2023, five inter-agency missions dedicated to negotiating humanitarian access have been conducted in Djugu, Mambasa, Irumu, and Mahagi. These missions, led by OCHA, involved a consortium of about ten humanitarian actors, including various UN agencies and INGOs. The missions’ execution is overseen by the HAWG, which determines essential routes, ensuring maximum reach to beneficiaries. This route identification uses data from both UNDSS and INSO4 reports.
These missions are meant to engage with diverse community groups, from community leaders and youth groups to armed group leaders and civil society. Their objective is to underscore the importance of humanitarian principles, humanitarian organizations’ mandate, the necessity for unimpeded humanitarian access, and the protection of civilians. Securing the commitment from armed groups and community leaders is pivotal for achieving community acceptance.
Additionally, local humanitarian access cells are established within communities. These bodies offer localised solutions for any access challenges and keep both OCHA and the HAWG informed of emerging obstacles or areas of concern. By 30 September 2023, this initiative enabled the opening of six major roads, ensuring unobstructed movement for humanitarian teams.