Hunger crisis in DR Congo escalates due to intensified conflict and violence in the east

The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to exacerbate the hunger crisis in the country, with increased violence in the eastern provinces leading to further displacement of families. Overcrowded camps are struggling with food shortages, inadequate sanitation, and insufficient shelter. From February, 230,000 people have been displaced to Goma by the M23 conflict, bringing the total displaced population around the city to nearly one million. This figure is almost double that of four months ago.

The struggle for power and land involving over 120 armed groups has plagued Eastern Congo with conflict for several decades. Communities living in terror due to recurrent outbreaks of violence by the M23 rebel group, linked to Rwanda, are dominant in the region. This rebel group continues waging an assault on villages, thus compelling the residents to seek refuge in Goma, the region’s largest city.

Half of North Kivu province is under the control of M23, who have laid siege to numerous communities. The situation in the province has deteriorated recently as the security forces engage in combat with the rebels. According to locals, the rebels typically conduct bombings from hills overlooking the more isolated towns. Families lack sufficient shelter and have limited access to water, food, and protection from abuse.

The escalating crisis has prompted the World Food Program (WFP) to triple its reach in the eastern DRC, increasing from an average of 400,000 beneficiaries in May 2023 to 1.3 million currently. Goma’s markets have experienced food shortages and surging commodity prices as a consequence of the displacement of nearly one million people since the start of the year. Approximately a quarter of DRC’s population, numbering 23.4 million people, are battling crisis levels of hunger or worse. Many reside in squalid and overcrowded conditions, with scant access to food, healthcare, and education.

The mounting hunger crisis is particularly ominous for women and girls in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, where they are perpetually at risk of sexual violence. The WFP is grappling with funding shortages, which necessitates difficult decisions about food distribution, especially in the eastern provinces where humanitarian needs are intensifying alongside conflict. To sustain thorough operations in the DRC, the WFP requires a total of US$ 548.5 million.