The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world.

The country has been the scene of sporadic outbreaks of violence for nearly 30 years. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and are now struggling to survive.

According to the latest data, as of November 30, 2023, more than 9.9 million people are displaced, including 525,000 refugees and 6.46 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), placing the country second only to Sudan, making the DRC one of the most serious displacement crises in the world.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring province of North Kivu, a dramatic resurgence of attacks by armed groups began in March 2022, causing more than thousands of people to flee their homes. Nearly 120,000 people have fled to the outskirts of the provincial capital of Goma, but remain in desperate need. A total of 1,524,306 million people are displaced in this conflict-torn province.

In terms of health, the country is affected by several epidemics, including cholera, measles, malaria, and monkeypox. Regarding the cholera epidemic, the DRC was the leading transmission basin in West and Central Africa in 2023, with more than 50,000 suspected cases and 470 deaths, representing 82% of all reported cases. This is the worst situation in the country since 2017, largely due to the introduction and spread of the disease in IDP sites in North Kivu. More than 60% of suspected cases are children.

Climate hazards cause disasters that continue to severely affect vulnerable populations. Approximately 2.1 million people were affected by the pluvial and river floods that affected 18 provinces of the country, including the city of Kinshasa, between November 2023 and January 2024. These floods destroyed or damaged infrastructure (98,000 homes, 1,530 schools, 267 health facilities) and caused the deaths of 300 people.

The affected populations saw their sexual and reproductive needs increase, despite the fact that most lack access to modern contraception. Some pregnant women experienced life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and/or were exposed to violence or sexual exploitation, as well as HIV infection, or were unable to meet their basic hygiene needs.