In a context of growing tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces and fighters of the March 23 Movement (M23) supported by Rwandan forces have resumed in the village of Ndumba, causing new population displacements and exacerbating an already critical humanitarian situation.
As these clashes rage on the ground, an urgent appeal for funds has been launched by the UN, the Congolese government and the humanitarian community. Indeed, the humanitarian response plan for the year 2024 requires $2.6 billion to provide vital assistance to 8.7 million people whose survival depends on this emergency aid.
Yet despite these dire needs, funding for the previous year’s appeal had only reached 40%, leaving millions of Congolese vulnerable without the necessary assistance. Among the alarming figures, there are nearly 25.4 million people in the DRC who are food insecure, and 8.4 million suffering from acute malnutrition, particularly young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Faced with this dramatic situation, Modeste Mutinga Mutushayi, Minister of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Actions, underlined the urgency of international mobilization to come to the aid of these populations in distress. He recalled that the DRC has considerable potential in terms of environment, mining and tourism, which could be fully exploited if peace returned to the country.
In short, this humanitarian crisis in the DRC, often overshadowed by other international conflicts, calls for global solidarity to respond to the urgent and essential needs of millions of people in distress. It is crucial that the international community mobilizes and responds to this call for help to avoid a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.