UN reports humanitarian situation in DR Congo is deteriorating quickly
Cynthia Jones, WFP’s country director for DR Congo, told a UN Geneva press briefing that tens of thousands of people have been displaced and are facing severe hunger. She highlighted that provinces under the control of M23 rebels—allegedly backed by Rwanda—pose particular challenges for delivering aid, with funding shortfalls compounding the crisis.
Jones stressed that re-establishing air access would significantly improve relief efforts, noting that two airports in M23-controlled areas “have been closed basically since the end of January.” The WFP is urgently calling for the creation of a humanitarian air corridor to facilitate aid delivery.
The warning follows a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform (IPC), which indicates that nearly 25 million people in DR Congo are experiencing high levels of food insecurity. Jones explained the real-life impact on families: "This means what for families? It means that they're skipping their meals, depleting all of their household assets. They're selling off their animals."
Currently, the WFP can support only a fraction of those in need and is appealing for $350 million to fund emergency food and nutrition assistance over the next six months. "Without it, we will have to make further cuts, reduce (assistance) even further, down to 300,000, which is only 10% of the three million in need," Jones said.
The ceasefire deal known as the Declaration of Principles was signed in Doha in July between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels. However, clashes persist, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce. Nearly 7 million people in the country are internally displaced, although the M23 rebels claimed last week that “there is no longer any humanitarian emergency” in the areas under their control, asserting that all displaced persons have returned home.
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