The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that the humanitarian situation in North Kivu Province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo), continues to deteriorate amid renewed clashes between armed groups. Since early February, intensified violence has triggered large-scale displacement, forcing thousands to flee multiple times in search of safety.
In an update on Wednesday, OCHA stated that, according to local sources, more than 170,000 people across Masisi Territory had been displaced by mid-April. Several villages have reportedly been emptied as families flee with little to no notice following directives from armed groups.
OCHA stressed that this repeated displacement is pushing vulnerable populations into extreme danger. On Monday, for example, unidentified armed men attacked a school in Masisi that was serving as a displacement site for at least 500 people. Many were forced to flee again overnight, reportedly facing violence and looting that stripped them of their remaining essential belongings and means of survival.
Conditions in host areas remain precarious, placing immense pressure on overstretched basic services. There is an urgent need for food, shelter, water, sanitation and healthcare. OCHA and its partners are currently organizing joint assessments to scale up the response as resources allow.
The crisis is exacerbated by a dire food security outlook. According to the latest IPC analysis, 26.6 million Congolese people are expected to experience acute hunger at crisis levels or worse through to June 2026. The situation is most severe in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika, where over 10 million people — one third of the region's population — face crisis levels of hunger.
At the same time, more than 4.18 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition nationwide, placing them in urgent need of nutritional support and treatment. This includes over 1.35 million children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Furthermore, almost 1.54 million pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) in DRC are malnourished and require treatment.
The eastern provinces, particularly South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri, have been plagued by violence for decades, with non-state armed groups battling for control of the region's abundant natural resources. Last year, escalating hostilities spread throughout the eastern provinces, leading to widespread displacement and continuous movement, as well as heightened protection risks for the civilian population.
While insecurity persists and ongoing clashes continue to displace civilians across the eastern part of DRC, Congolese refugees are gradually returning from Burundi, largely due to underfunded global humanitarian efforts.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian response inside the DRC is also critically underfunded. The US$1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026 aims to provide assistance to 7.3 million people in a country where nearly 15 million people require humanitarian aid. However, it is only 32 percent funded, having received just over $451 million so far.
The humanitarian crisis in DR Congo is one of the longest-running and most neglected in the world. Ongoing armed conflict is the primary cause of the emergency. The country's human rights and humanitarian crises have escalated for years, prompting the United Nations to repeatedly warn of the dire situation and urge the international community to pay more attention to the plight of Congolese civilians.
Despite significant political developments, including the June 2025 peace accord between the Congolese and Rwandan governments, the crisis persists. While diplomatic efforts continue, active fighting remains prevalent in the eastern provinces. Various armed groups, including the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23), continue to pursue territorial expansion.
On April 18, 2026, representatives of the DRC government and the AFC/M23 signed a protocol in Montreux, Switzerland, establishing three primary pillars to de-escalate the conflict. The agreement gives priority to the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors and to protecting civilians, backed by a newly established oversight mechanism with international observers to enforce the ceasefire.
Although the Montreux agreement provides hope for the future, it must be fully implemented to provide genuine relief to the millions affected by this rapidly deteriorating crisis and to help achieve lasting peace in eastern DR Congo.