UN Warns of Worsening Hunger Crisis in DR Congo as Aid Dries Up

The UN warns that nearly 27 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo face severe hunger as foreign aid declines, threatening regional stability. Ongoing conflict, displacement, and funding shortages have worsened the crisis, forcing the World Food Programme to cut assistance from 2.3 million people to 600,000. The agency needs $127 million in emergency funding to continue operations beyond February. Over three million children already suffer from malnutrition in the conflict-ridden nation of 109 million people.

Millions of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing worsening hunger as international aid funding dries up, the United Nations warned on Thursday. The global body cautioned that without urgent action, the crisis could deepen instability across Central Africa and lead to severe humanitarian consequences.

According to a joint report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), nearly 27 million people in the DRC are projected to experience crisis-level or worse food insecurity by early next year. Of that number, nearly four million people are already enduring emergency levels of hunger — conditions that threaten lives and livelihoods across the country.

The DRC, a vast nation rich in natural resources, has been plagued by more than three decades of armed conflict, particularly in its mineral-rich eastern regions. Various armed groups continue to fight over access to valuable deposits of gold, cobalt, and other minerals, leaving thousands dead and displacing millions. The ongoing violence has disrupted farming, destroyed infrastructure, and made humanitarian access increasingly difficult.

The UN emphasized that the country’s deteriorating situation has been compounded by a steep decline in international funding. Humanitarian agencies are struggling to maintain operations as donor priorities shift globally, with resources being redirected to crises in other regions.

The warning was issued on the eve of an international donor conference in Paris, where the UN and humanitarian partners hope to secure emergency funding for relief efforts in eastern DRC. The World Food Programme said that because of financial shortages, it has been forced to drastically reduce food assistance this year — from 2.3 million people to just 600,000 — leaving millions without critical support.

The agency’s funding deficit has ballooned to $349 million, with officials warning that, without an immediate injection of funds, the WFP could be forced to suspend all food aid operations in the country by February 2026. To avert this outcome, the organization is urgently appealing for $127 million in emergency support.

“Millions of lives are at risk, and regional stability will suffer,” said Cynthia Jones, the WFP’s acting country director in the DRC. “The time to act is now — before the cost becomes irreversible.”

The situation is particularly alarming for children. The UN reports that more than three million children in the DRC suffer from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition — a condition that impairs physical and cognitive development and limits future potential.

With a population of over 109 million, the DRC faces one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises. Beyond food insecurity, communities are also grappling with poverty, disease outbreaks, and displacement, as renewed fighting between armed groups continues to undermine stability in the eastern provinces.

The UN and humanitarian organizations stress that addressing the crisis requires both immediate aid and long-term solutions — including peacebuilding, agricultural investment, and improved governance — to break the cycle of conflict and hunger that has persisted for decades.