Overview
People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to deal with an unprecedented humanitarian situation, marked by ongoing armed conflicts, massive displacement, climate shocks, and recurrent epidemics. For millions of Congolese, every day is a struggle for survival, in a context where violence, poverty, and instability add to the exhaustion from a prolonged crisis.
In the east of the country, the war continues to devastate lives. The expansion of territory under the control of the Congo River Alliance/23 March Movement (AFC/M23) in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, including the capture of the cities of Goma, Bukavu, and Uvira, has caused new displacements but also at times forced hundreds of thousands of families to return to their areas of origin, which are often still unstable.
At the same time, violence persists in Ituri, Maniema, and Tanganyika.
Attacks by armed groups, identity tensions, and retaliations have left entire villages in ruins. Survivors recount nights of fear, looting, and daily uncertainty. Women and girls are exposed to gender-based violence, stigmatized, and deprived of adequate support.
The devastating effects of conflicts are compounded by the consequences of climate change. In 2025, torrential rains and floods devastated Kinshasa and other regions. In the Greater Kasai and Maniema, they destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland, worsening food insecurity. Nearly a quarter of the population now lives in acute food insecurity.
Security risks remain the main driver of humanitarian needs in the DRC. In the east, the persistence of fighting will lead to massive displacement, loss of livelihoods, and continued exposure of civilians to serious violations, particularly conflict-related sexual violence. More than 5.35 million people were already displaced in 2025, a figure likely to increase.
At the same time, 26.6 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity nationwide, with a high concentration in the eastern provinces affected by the conflict.
In 2026, unplanned urbanization, inadequate sanitation, and mass displacement will continue to fuel new epidemic outbreaks. Outbreaks of measles, cholera, malaria, Ebola, and mpox are recurring in a weakened health system, characterized by low vaccination coverage, shortages of medications, and insufficient epidemiological surveillance.
Source: OCHA 2026
