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Current Requirements (US$)$1.40 billion
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Current People Hyper Prioritized4.7 million
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Current Hyper Prioritized Requirements$937 million
GHO estimates at launch (8 December 2025)
Crisis overview
Ongoing armed conflict remains the primary driver of humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2025, hostilities expanded across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, causing massive new displacement, including return and continuous pendular movements and heightened protection risks for civilians. Despite the country’s vast natural resources, poverty and vulnerability levels remain among the highest globally.
Epidemics, including cholera, measles and Mpox continue to pose significant risks, particularly in areas without external actors given the limited response capacity. Recent Ebola outbreaks have been contained, but the risk of resurgence persists. Climate-related hazards continue to affect communities living in areas prone to floods and landslides in several provinces, including eastern DRC.
North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Tumaini, 39, has returned with her family to their compound in Sake after fleeing the conflict. They now live under a tarpaulin on the site where their home once stood before it was destroyed.
UNOCHA/Francis MwezeDisplacement, mainly in eastern DRC, remains among the largest worldwide, with over 5.3 million people internally displaced as of September 2025. More than 3 million returnees, including unplanned returns following site closures, were also recorded since January 2025. Food insecurity reached extreme levels, with approximately 24.8 million people in crisis or emergency phases (IPC 3 and 4) between September and December 2025 and a projected figure of 26.6 million people from January to June 2026.
Crisis-affected people prioritize nutritious food, safe water, hygiene and sanitation, education, primary healthcare, shelter, protection and livelihood support among their main needs. Vulnerable groups, including children, women, girls, persons with disabilities, older persons, survivors of gender-based violence and persons living with HIV, continue to face disproportionate risks.
For 2026, the number of people in need is estimated at 14.9 million, including 513,000 refugees, down from 21.2 million in 2025. This lower figure does not indicate an improvement of the humanitarian situation but reflects methodological refinement, including a narrower scope of shocks and focus on areas with the highest severity levels. The analysis has identified North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and parts of adjacent provinces as the areas exhibiting the most acute vulnerable people.
Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026
The humanitarian community will request $1.4 billion to assist 7.3 million people living in areas with intersectoral severity 3 and 4. A prioritized caseload of 4.7 million people in zones with severity 4 will require $937 million. These boundaries reflect the Humanitarian Reset and a tighter alignment between needs, partner footprint, and the funding and access realities observed in 2025.
Targeting in 2026 will concentrate on the eastern provinces and selected hotspots elsewhere where violence, displacement, and service disruption converge, and where communities have identified life-saving support as their top priority. Outside the priority areas, the HNRP provides only limited preparedness and light-touch support. Where development frameworks such as the UNSDCF are active, partners will align with those programmes to cover broader needs. If available resources increase, scalable components will expand coverage to additional areas with lesser severity.
The response will deliver integrated life-saving packages that combine food assistance, treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition, emergency health care including outbreak control, safe water, hygiene and sanitation, essential shelter and NFIs, and protection services with a focus on GBV risk mitigation, child protection and mine action.
North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
A water point built by partners to curb cholera in Masisi. Underfunded health facilities struggle to meet their needs, and with donor support shrinking, the region’s health system teeters on the brink of collapse.
UNOCHA/Wassy KambaleAssistance provided will include a mix of cash and in-kind modalities, based on market functionality and individuals' preferences, with community feedback systematically informing design and course corrections. Local actors will be engaged across assessment, delivery and monitoring to strengthen access, accountability and continuity.
Compared to 2025, the number of people targeted, and the financial ask are more conservative. This is due to a reduction on the scope of shocks, refined severity thresholds, reduced operating space in several conflict-affected areas, the closure and dismantlement of many displacement sites and evaluation of previous responses. Needs that are better addressed under development or stabilization approaches will be excluded from the HNRP. Area-based responses will be strengthened in displacement and return zones to preserve basic services and restore livelihoods where conditions allow.
Significant barriers include insecurity and movement restrictions, administrative constraints, contamination by the presence of unexploded ordnance, seasonal flooding, and poor road conditions. These factors continue to delay the movement of humanitarian staff and supply chains, constraining the efficient delivery of essential materials to affected populations. In addition, disease outbreaks further strain the already fragile health system.
Democratic Republic of Congo
2025 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
Shelter
From January to September, 887,000 people received shelter or essential household items; NFIs made up most deliveries, reflecting large-scale displacement and asset loss.
Camp coordination and camp management
From January to September, 539,000 IDPs were assisted across 172 active IDP sites in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika; site management sustained minimum safety and dignity standards amid camp closures and return pressure.
Nutrition
From January to December (projection), 1,160,927 children 0–59 months with acute malnutrition will be treated, including 510,255 with SAM; 192,716 pregnant and lactating women will receive treatment, helping avert excess mortality in high-severity health zones.
Food assistance
From January to September 2025, WFP reached 4.5 million people including IDPs, returnees, host communities and refugees with cash, and in-kind food assistance.
Community feedback
An AAP cell was established to centralize community feedback, manage inter-agency complaints, route sensitive cases, and ensure people’s stated priorities drive planning.
North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
A tailoring class with women supported by the NGO Tuungana following their return to Sake after the armed conflict that forced them to flee earlier in 2025.
UNOCHA/Francis MwezeConsequences of funding cuts
Nutrition
392,000 children with SAM and 1,076,800 with MAM were not reached for necessary nutrition treatment in emergency areas.
Shelter
85% of targeted people for shelter response were not covered and therefore were left without proper shelter.
Nearly 1 million people affected by population movements lacked shelter or NFI assistance.
Kwilu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Elolo, 22, fights severe malnutrition but stays hopeful thanks to ongoing care and support. In Bagata, poverty, poor healthcare, scarce nutritious food, and recurring conflicts drive malnutrition.
WFP/Michael CastofasKasaï: Engaging traditional leadership in PSEAH response during the Ebola outbreak
In September 2025, the Ebola response in Kasaï marked a pivotal shift in addressing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH). Historically, customary norms hindered the recognition and reporting of such violations. However, for the first time, traditional leaders were actively engaged in the PSEAH pillar—not only briefed, but also signatories of the code of conduct. Their visible participation in awareness sessions alongside community focal points and health providers helped dismantle taboos and foster open dialogue around reporting mechanisms. This shift in attitudes, in a context where sexual misconduct was often silenced or normalized, represents a significant step toward collective resilience.
Driven by strong PSEA inter-agency and governmental coordination, the initiative reached a substantial portion of the population in a short timeframe, with targeted efforts toward women, girls, and persons with disabilities. It also laid the groundwork for community-based complaint mechanisms (CBCM), co-designed with local communities. This experience exemplifies the humanitarian reset in action —moving beyond service delivery to catalyze social transformation by placing communities at the center of protection efforts.