The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have sounded the alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hunger and malnutrition continue to rise sharply. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, 26.6 million people are projected to face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by early 2026, including 3.9 million experiencing emergency hunger. This marks a significant increase from current levels, underscoring the growing severity of the crisis.
The situation is most dire in the conflict-affected eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika, where violence, displacement, and restricted humanitarian access have deepened food insecurity. By January 2026, more than 10 million people in these provinces are expected to struggle daily to meet their food needs, with 3 million already enduring emergency hunger—an increase of 700,000 since March 2025. Malnutrition among children also remains critical, particularly in Ituri, South Kivu, and Tanganyika, where limited dietary diversity, healthcare challenges, and disease outbreaks persist. Nationwide, nearly half of all children under five—around 3.2 million—are stunted due to chronic undernutrition.
FAO emphasized the importance of agricultural assistance as a cost-effective solution to the hunger crisis. By providing vulnerable and displaced families with the tools and resources to grow their own food, FAO’s programs aim to address both immediate and long-term food security needs. However, funding shortages have severely constrained operations, with only 217,000 people assisted by August 2025 out of a planned 3.6 million. To expand support in 2026, FAO requires $127 million to reach approximately 2.4 million people.
The WFP, which has been focusing its efforts in the eastern provinces, is also facing severe funding constraints that have forced it to reduce its planned assistance from 2.3 million people to just 600,000. The agency now faces a funding gap of $349 million through April 2026, with the risk of a complete pipeline break by February. WFP Acting Country Director Cynthia Jones warned that without urgent financial support and coordinated action, millions of lives are at risk and regional stability could deteriorate further. She called for immediate international attention and resources to avert an irreversible humanitarian disaster in eastern DRC.
