UN News Today 27 March 2025 |

DR Congo: Record numbers face acute or emergency hunger

A record 27.7 million people are in the grip of acute hunger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid ongoing conflict linked to massive displacement and rising food prices, global food security experts warned on Thursday.

The situation in the DRC represents one of the world’s worst food crises, according to the UN-partnered Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) platform.

The UN World Food Programme, WFP, is helping families who are already struggling to feed themselves, particularly in wartorn eastern regions.

That’s where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have uprooted tens of thousands of people as part of their ongoing offensive, preventing families from accessing their livestock and livelihoods.

Here’s WFP spokesperson in DRC, Shelley Thakral, talking to UN News:

“Since the start of this year, they’ve seen their cities been taken over. They’ve seen banks being closed, supply chain routes closed off access to food even harder the fuel prices have gone up. Whatever they see on the market, they probably can’t afford to buy just because of lack of income and loss of livelihood… It’s grim and it’s tough when you’ve been living in such insecurity, economic instability, a rise in food prices, and it just puts more and more women and children and families at risk.”

So far this year, 464,000 people have received WFP food, cash for food, and nutrition treatment in accessible areas of eastern DRC; the UN agency has reached 237,000 people in Bunia, capital of Ituri province.

WFP said that it needs $399 million just to keep operations going over the next six months.

Gaza: UN humanitarians flag impact on children of ongoing war

To Gaza now, where the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warned on Thursday of the terrible impact on youngsters of renewed Israeli bombardment and the total aid blockade.

UNICEF’s Rosalia Bollen, who’s on the ground there, said that hundreds of children had been killed and injured – some with severe burns, shrapnel lodged in their bodies, fractures and amputations.

“Even on 18 March with that very heavy, intense bombing, children still kept hope because they thought maybe it’s a one-off, but it’s not, because the attacks continue the airstrikes continue, tank shelling, shooting and displacement orders continue to be issues and people…keep being pushed around.”

Also on Thursday, the UN World Food Programme warned that hundreds of thousands of Gazans risk severe hunger and malnutrition as food stocks dwindle and borders remain closed.

It has been more than three weeks since Israel blocked all commercial and humanitarian aid supplies into the Strip.

The UN food agency now has approximately 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza, which is enough to support operations “for a maximum of two weeks”, it said.

UN rights body sounds alarm over South Sudan crisis

Top independent rights investigators on South Sudan issued an alert on Thursday over the rapidly escalating crisis, linked to the arrest of Riek Machar – the country’s First Vice President and main opposition leader.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan called for urgent, coordinated action to protect civilians and preserve the 2018 peace deal that ended five years of civil war.

Head of the Commission Yasmin Sooka said that the reasons for the crisis were the failure to protect civilians and uphold the commitments of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.

“The deliberate targeting of opposition leaders and civilians represents a reckless disregard for international law and the country’s future,” she added.

South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation, after gaining independence in July 2011.

But war erupted in December 2013 between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and opposition forces led by Mr. Machar, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

The 2018 peace deal ended the fighting and established a unity government, but violence has intensified in multiple regions of the country over the past month.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

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