The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a major scale-up of emergency operations to deliver life-saving food and nutrition assistance to more than 210,000 of the most vulnerable people displaced by renewed violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to WFP, an estimated 500,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in South Kivu Province at the beginning of December, pushing already fragile communities toward the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. While some food supplies have been pre-positioned in affected areas, the agency urgently requires USD 67 million to sustain assistance in the DRC for the next three months.

Basic services across South Kivu are nearing collapse. Health facilities have been looted, medicines are scarce, and schools remain closed. Communities affected by the violence are facing acute shortages of safe drinking water, medical care, and livelihoods. The education system has been severely disrupted, with more than 391,000 children currently out of school.

“This hunger crisis risks spiraling without urgent action,” said Cynthia Jones, WFP Country Director ad interim in the DRC. “Not only are those forced to flee in dire need, but families who have provided shelter—already living at emergency levels of food insecurity—are sharing their last food with displaced neighbors, pushing everyone closer to utter desperation.”

WFP plans to prioritize the most vulnerable displaced families and host communities in South Kivu with emergency food packages that include cereals, pulses, vegetable oil, iodized salt, and specialized nutritional support. The nutrition assistance is aimed particularly at preventing malnutrition among young children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The impact of the violence has also extended beyond the DRC’s borders, with thousands fleeing to neighboring countries in search of food and safety. In Burundi, WFP is currently supporting around 71,000 new arrivals from the DRC with hot meals at transit centers, while in Rwanda up to 1,000 recent arrivals have received hot meals and nutrition assistance. Nutrition screenings are ongoing, and specialized nutritious foods are being distributed to prevent malnutrition among displaced populations.

“Without urgent support and additional funding, we cannot respond to a crisis that is teetering on the brink of a hunger catastrophe,” Jones warned.

To meet immediate needs, WFP is seeking USD 67 million to assist displaced populations inside the DRC and an additional USD 12 million to support refugees in Burundi. However, the agency stressed that this emergency comes at a time when its operations are already critically underfunded.

To maintain all programmes across the DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda for the next six months, WFP said it urgently requires USD 350 million for operations in the DRC, USD 39 million in Burundi, and USD 17 million in Rwanda.

WFP has called on the international community to act swiftly to prevent further deterioration of food security and nutrition across the region, warning that delays could result in widespread hunger and long-term humanitarian consequences. (ILKHA)