UN sounds alarm over rising hunger crisis in eastern DR Congo

"One in three people in DRC's eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. That's over 10 million people, Jones said. Of that, an alarming three million people are in emergency levels of hunger, she told a media briefing in Geneva. She said this higher level meant people were facing extreme gaps in food consumption and very high levels of malnutrition, adding that the numbers of people that are facing emergency levels of hunger is surging."

"WFP says a deepening hunger crisis' is unfolding and that it may have to pause food aid due to record low funding. The number of people facing emergency levels of hunger in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has nearly doubled since last year, the United Nations has warned. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday a deepening hunger crisis was unfolding in the region, but warned it was only able to reach a fraction of those in need due to acute funding shortages and access difficulties."

"The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized swaths of the eastern DRC since taking up arms again in 2021, compounding a humanitarian crisis and the more than three-decade conflict in the region. The armed group's lightning offensive saw it capture the key eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu, near the border with Rwanda. It has set up an administration there parallel to the government in Kinshasa and taken control of nearby mines. Rwanda has denied supporting the rebels."

One in three people in eastern DRC provinces face crisis-level hunger, totaling over 10 million people, with about three million at emergency levels. Emergency-level hunger involves extreme gaps in food consumption and very high malnutrition, and those numbers have almost doubled since last year. People are already dying of hunger as fighting has escalated. WFP can reach only a fraction of those in need because of acute funding shortages and access difficulties. About $150m has been received this year against an estimated $350m needed. Renewed M23 offensives, captures of Goma and Bukavu, and control of mines have worsened the humanitarian crisis.

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