The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning that its life-saving operations in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could be forced to stop as early as February because the agency is facing one of its worst funding shortages in years.
Cynthia Jones, the WFP’s country director for the DRC, said the agency has received “only about $150 million” in 2024, far below the approximately $350 million needed to sustain basic assistance to millions of civilians trapped in the humanitarian crisis.
Humanitarian analysts say more than 3.2 million people in eastern DRC are currently experiencing emergency levels of acute food insecurity. The region has endured over 12 months of intensified fighting between government forces and the M23 armed group, which the Congolese government says is supported by Rwanda — an allegation Rwanda denies. Both sides have been accused by rights groups of committing abuses against civilians.
At its peak in recent years, WFP funding for DRC reached around $600 million, and even in 2024 the agency managed roughly $380 million. But broader global budget cuts — especially reductions in U.S. foreign aid and cuts from major European donors diverting money to defence spending — have left the program in an unprecedented cash crisis.
As a result, WFP has already reduced its reach from one million to about 600,000 people per month. Jones cautioned that even this reduced level is not financially sustainable going into the early months of 2025.
“If we keep providing food to 600,000 people every month, we will be completely out of resources by February or March,” she said. “The situation is that dire.”
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Source:Africa Publicity
