DR Congo: 2017-2019 Humanitarian Response Plan - Summary Update 2018

THE CRISIS IN 2018

A major crisis fast deteriorating.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where one of the world’s major humanitarian emergencies is unfolding, has seen a significant escalation of conflict and violence.

Vast swaths of the national territory, previously untouched by armed conflict, have experienced extreme levels of violence in 2017. More than 2.2 million people were forced to flee their homes, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to 4.5 million by December 2017 – the highest number of any country on the African continent.

An increasing number of refugees from neighboring Burundi, Central African Republic and South Sudan sought sanctuary within the DRC’s borders. This situation was compounded by deepening levels of vulnerability, adding to the burden of epidemics, malnutrition and food insecurity. The deterioration of the situation has prompted the humanitarian community to declare three areas of the country in “Level 3 crisis”, in the Kasai Region and in the East. Projected humanitarian needs have more than doubled, from 7.3 million people in need in 2017,to 13.1 million for 2018.

The developments in 2017 were also a shocking reminder of the highly dynamic, unpredictable and complex nature of the humanitarian crisis in the DRC – a clear contrast to the typical portrayal of the DRC’s humanitarian crisis as a chronic and protracted emergency. The context remains marked by high vulnerability of populations, a consequence of decades of local and regional security instability, especially in the East. Sociopolitical tensions around the electoral process, a significant economic slowdown and chronic underdevelopment have added to the adversity faced by the affected populations.