A record 30.3 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are projected to face crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) between January and June 2027, up from 26.5 million in the same months of 2026, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. FAO, WFP, UNICEF and WHO warned in a joint release that humanitarian aid is falling dangerously behind the need.
From September to December 2026 nearly 29 million people, almost a quarter of the population, face crisis or worse, including 3.6 million at Emergency level (IPC Phase 4). By early 2027 the number in Emergency is projected to rise by nearly 600,000 to 4.2 million.
Needs are sharpest in the east. More than 11 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri are projected to face crisis or worse in the first half of 2027, and nine territories are projected to be in Emergency: Djugu in Ituri; Lubero, Masisi and Oicha in North Kivu; and Fizi, Kalehe, Mwenga, Shabunda and Walungu in South Kivu. Large shares of the population in Tanganyika, Maniema, Kasai, Haut-Lomami, Lomami, Kwango and Haut-Uele also face crisis hunger.
Conflict and repeated displacement are cutting families off from their land, disrupting markets and reducing food production and income, the agencies said. Insecurity, climate hazards and limited access to land and farm inputs are cutting harvests, and crises in the Middle East, the Red Sea and Ukraine add to the pressure on food prices. Ebola, mpox, cholera and other outbreaks disrupt farming, restrict movement and strain health services.
"Every agricultural season missed deepens hunger and increases dependence on humanitarian assistance," said Rein Paulsen, Director of the FAO Office of Emergencies and Resilience. "If farmers receive seeds, tools and other essential support before planting begins in early 2027, they can harvest by mid-year, restore incomes and help feed their communities through the lean season."
Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, called the Ebola outbreak a crisis on top of an existing crisis and asked for safe, sustained access to deliver food aid at scale. Children under five face the greatest risk from acute malnutrition, made worse by poor access to health care, safe water and sanitation. The four agencies called for urgent financing and diplomatic action to scale up food aid, restore farm livelihoods, prevent and treat malnutrition, and secure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access, with funding to reach communities ahead of the planting season.
Source: FAONewsRoom
Comments
(0)