The number of children going hungry in war-torn eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surged 50% due to an escalation in violence this year with 2.3 million more children now going without enough food [1], according to Save the Children.
An analysis of new data from the leading international authority on food insecurity, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), shows that the number of children facing crisis-level or worse food insecurity across the DRC between January and June this year has risen to 14.6 million— up from 12.3 million – compared to the same period in 2024, with one in four children nationwide currently struggling to access enough food.
The crisis is particularly severe in the conflict-ridden eastern provinces – Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika – where Save the Children’s analysis found that the number of affected children has surged by 47% compared to same January to June period last year [2].
The worsening hunger crisis is being driven by escalating violence, with clashes in North and South Kivu as well as ongoing armed conflicts in Ituri intensifying since the start of the year.
In recent months, nearly 3 million people have been on the move, either displaced by conflict or returning to their areas of origin, making access to food more challenging. Currently there are 6.4 million people who have been internally displaced by conflict in DRC, according to the latest data from UNHCR, with over half of these people (3.8 million) in North and South Kivu alone [3].
Furaha*, 25, a mother of four, was forced to flee her village in North Kivu in 2024 due to increasing levels of violence. However, after her displacement camp was dismantled her family were left without a safe haven. Now, they live in cramped conditions with a host family, struggling to feed herself and her children. Furaha said:
“To meet my family’s needs, I wash clothes for families in need of these services, which allows me to find some food for my family, although it’s not enough, and if no one needs this service, we spend that day sleeping without eating anything. This has an impact on my children, like Grace*, aged 2, who has already suffered from malnutrition on two occasions. On the second time, I noticed that the child already had oedemas, no appetite and difficulty sucking; I brought her back to the clinic where free treatment was given and her health is improving, which makes me happy. My fear is that as we find food with difficulty, this situation of malnutrition will be repeated several times and affect other children.”
Food insecurity has devastating effects on children’s health, leading to malnutrition, stunted growth, weakened immune systems, and increased vulnerability to diseases. Without sufficient nutrients, children are more likely to suffer from conditions such as anemia, severe wasting, and developmental delays, which can have long-term consequences on their physical and cognitive development. Children who do not have sufficient access to food will also struggle to focus and learn, if they have access to education.
Greg Ramm, Country Director for Save the Children in the DRC, said:
“We are witnessing a catastrophic escalation of hunger among children in DRC. The ongoing violence in eastern DRC has displaced millions, leaving families without access to food, healthcare, and other essential services. Poverty rates remain high, particularly in rural areas. The international community must take immediate action to address this crisis and prevent further suffering especially among children”.
Save the Children started working in eastern DRC in 1994, and is currently working with 13 local partners, as well as international partners and government authorities, to deliver critical health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection and education support to children and their families.
[1] The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) provides a common scale for classifying the severity and magnitude of food shortage and acute malnutrition.
[2] In January 2025- June 2025, as compared to the same period last year. Save the Children compared the number of children facing IPC3 or higher in January- June 2024 and January-June 2025 applying a child share of 52.5% based on UN World Population Prospects data. On this basis, the number of food insecure children in IPC3+ has increased from around 12.3m in the first half of 2024 to 14.6m in the first half of 2025. This is an increase of around 2.3m children found to be in IPC3+.
To calculate percentage increases year-on-year between 2024 and 2025 we adjusted absolute numbers slightly to consider that IPC surveyed 96% of people in DRC in 2024 and 98% in 2025.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.
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