Democratic Republic of the Congo emergency
Mwamini walked over 90km with her five children to find safety after fleeing violence in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Last updated 18 Dec 2025
Families have been driven from their homes by escalating violence, including heavy shelling, looting, and targeted attacks. An estimated 27 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2025.
Shelter
for those who fled with nothing
Protection
for vulnerable women and children
Emergency assistance
to survivors of sexual violence
What’s happening in the DRC?
For many years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has long grappled with repeated humanitarian emergencies and insecurity. There are currently over 6.7 million people displaced in the country and over 1.2 million Congolese refugees hosted across Africa, with many in desperate need of food and shelter.
Fighting that erupted in December 2024 escalated rapidly, forcing half a million people to flee in just a month. Bombings struck sites sheltering those already displaced, killing civilians and pushing many to flee again without access to shelter, food or basic services. A year later, in December 2025, a significant escalation in the conflict has worsened the humanitarian situation. More than 500,000 people have been newly displaced in South Kivu alone, and overcrowded shelters, along with cholera and measles outbreaks, have left conditions extremely dire.
UNHCR is providing shelter, healthcare and protection to displaced families, as well as strengthening the protection of the most vulnerable, but additional support is desperately needed.
What’s happening in the eastern DRC?
Conflict has driven record levels of gender-based violence, displacement and hunger in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Infrastructure and existing services in the area have been crippled by months of violence.
The country is on the brink of catastrophe and urgent international action is required. UNHCR is part of the large-scale response to internal displacement in eastern DRC. It works closely with partners to provide lifesaving protection, shelter, non-food items and camp coordination services to internally displaced people.
What’s causing the violence in the DRC?
The humanitarian emergency in the DRC is one of the most complex crises in the world, driven by decades of armed conflict, rampant violence and competition over the country’s vast natural resources. Control over rich mining deposits – such as gold, tin and coltan – continues to fuel fighting, particularly in the eastern provinces. Ethnic tensions further exacerbate the crisis.
The situation worsened in 2023, as conflict escalated in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, with widespread human rights violations and an exponential rise in incidents of gender-based violence. Traditionally safe areas of the country also saw an increase in instability.
Where are families fleeing?
Escalating violence in the DRC has forced many families to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. As of 30 November 2025, there were over 1.2 million Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers abroad. Uganda hosts just over 50 per cent of Congolese refugees, with Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia following.
What is the situation for women and girls?
Women and girls in the DRC face alarming levels of violence and insecurity, with widespread reports of sexual violence, forced displacement, and human rights abuses. The increased displacement and resource scarcity, added to pre-existing inequalities, deepen the vulnerability of women and girls, exposing them to sexual violence and abuse.
The ongoing conflict has also disrupted critical support services, with over half of the organisations providing medical and psychosocial care to survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu unable to reach those in need.
UNHCR is providing emergency assistance to survivors of sexual violence, including psychosocial first aid and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) kits, while also implementing prevention programs to protect those at risk.
What happens when people return home?
Returning families often find their property, businesses and schools in ruins – and many members of the community dead. Human rights violations are still widespread, including physical mutilation, killings, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention in inhumane conditions.
Why do we urgently need public support?
UNHCR is issuing an emergency appeal in response to the worsening humanitarian situation and rising displacement. $47.2 million is needed for the period December 2025 through March 2026 to sustain life-saving protection and assistance for families forced to flee.
Without adequate funding, access to essential aid – including shelter, healthcare and protection – will be severely constrained, further exacerbating the suffering of vulnerable people. We urgently need your support.
Where can I find more data, maps and reports?
Congolese Situation – for the latest figures on the crisis, including UNHCR situation reports, funding requirements and UNHCR’s support for countries taking in refugees from the DRC.
Did you know that in 2024, UNHCR provided 107,800 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with shelter and housing assistance?
Many of these families escaped the DRC with nothing but what they could carry.
They travelled for miles and suffered so much before reaching the safety of the Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda.
Although their troubles are far from over, they now have shelter, protection and support from UNHCR to help them survive the months ahead.
Photo: ©UNHCR/Duniya Aslam Khan