30.3 million people risk food crisis in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Some 30.3 million people could face a food crisis in DR Congo between January and June 2027, compared with 26.5 million a year earlier, according to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. UN agencies, including WFP and FAO, attribute the deterioration to armed conflicts, population displacement and epidemics in the east of the country.
Nearly 30.3 million people could face a food crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo between January and June 2027, compared with 26.5 million over the same period in 2026, according to UN agencies cited in a statement relayed by AFP and reported by Senego.
The number of Congolese in the emergency food insecurity phase is also expected to rise from 3.6 million to 4.2 million at the start of 2027. More than 11 million residents of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri could face a food crisis or a more severe situation in the first half of the year, according to the same agencies.
Armed conflicts, population displacement, rising prices and epidemics are worsening needs, particularly in the east of the country. Fighting is driving residents away from their land and complicating aid deliveries, while humanitarian infrastructure is under pressure. UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, FAO, Unicef and WHO, are calling for increased food aid, agricultural livelihoods support, and health, nutrition, water and sanitation services.
The new projection comes after an estimate published on 30 October that nearly 28.8 million Congolese were facing acute hunger. It updates the expected level for the first half of 2027, while FAO had estimated that $330 million in funding was needed for its emergency agricultural activities in DR Congo through 2025. The agencies are calling on donors for rapid and sustainable funding to reach the worst-affected communities.
