Humanitarian Lifeline in DRC Under Threat: INGOs Call for Urgent Action

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, 6 February 2025 – The Forum of International NGOs in DRC warns that unabated conflict and rising displacement in North and South Kivu are pushing humanitarian response to the brink, demanding urgent action to secure aid continuity.

As the recording of casualties and fatalities in Goma continues, with thousands of deaths and injuries reported, the full magnitude of the crisis in Eastern DRC is unfolding in full scope. The humanitarian response faces critical challenges that must be urgently addressed to prevent further loss of life and a looming public health and humanitarian disaster.

Before the battle of Goma, 800,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) were living in and around the city. In recent days, at least 500,000 people have been displaced again in North and South Kivu. Some families are reportedly returning to their place of origin, while others have sought refuge elsewhere, leaving some sites emptied while other areas are now overcrowded.

Displaced people are facing impossible dilemmas: “I cannot pay transport costs to return home to Kitshanga. There's no security in Kitshanga, but life here is becoming unbearable. Only God will protect us”, says an individual living in the camp of Bulengo.

The uncertainty around recent displacements - particularly where displaced people are relocating and the conditions they will encounter - raises urgent concerns about families being pushed into unsafe, unstable conditions with little to no access to land, housing, or essential services. The return of displaced people must be safe, dignified, and voluntary. For those unable or unwilling to return, viable settlement or resettlement options must be provided. Whether they leave or remain in camps, all displaced individuals must receive the necessary support to meet their immediate needs and work toward rebuilding their lives.

Reports from international NGOs underscore medical, nutritional, and protection emergencies, with injured people overwhelming hospitals already struggling with fuel shortage, a lack of beds, and insufficient medical staff. Health facilities are further strained by influx of victims of violence and human rights violations, including survivors of sexual violence, children among them, requiring urgent medical and psychological care. Disease outbreaks - measles, cholera, and suspected mpox - pose an escalating threat to displaced communities. The looting of medical warehouses has depleted critical supplies. Disruptions in the supply chain are already causing stockouts of life-saving resources. “We're overwhelmed,” says the medical director of a Goma hospital that is already treating patients from a mpox epidemic and where hundreds of seriously injured people have sought treatment. “Since the violent clashes began, thousands of patients in and around Goma have needed urgent care. Medical resources are insufficient. Health structures are running out of funds. Water shortages and deplorable sanitary conditions are aggravating the situation, and cases of cholera are suspected. Without immediate help, this health crisis could become the worst in thirty years. It is a catastrophe in the making."

Compounding these critical shortages challenges, humanitarians are now gravely concerned by uncertainties on funding flows impacting the continuity of humanitarian aid. With almost 70% of humanitarian funding to DRC in 2024 coming from the United States, the current US funding pause causes an imminent concern for this key lifeline. Swift intervention is required to ensure key supplies will not be exhausted, and NGO staff can stay mobilized to provide assistance. Without continued funding, essential supplies will run out within days, leaving countless lives in jeopardy. "All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law by ensuring safe, unrestricted humanitarian access—both for aid to reach people and for people to access aid. Emergency measures are needed to facilitate the movement of national and international humanitarian workers,” says Luc Lamprière, the DRC INGO Forum Director. “They must also guarantee the protection of humanitarian workers, facilities, and convoys to ensure aid reaches those in need, free from violence and interference.” "Facilitating imports and implementing urgent logistical solutions are essential to prevent life-saving resource shortage, particularly medicines. An emergency air bridge must be established without delay to allow the scale-up of critical humanitarian assistance,” adds Lamprière. “Donors must act urgently with additional and flexible funding to sustain critical interventions, keep aid flowing where it is needed most as conditions continue to deteriorate."

For further information on this communication, please contact:

• Anaïs Ogée, INGO Forum Representative for the East representant-goma@forumongi-rdc.org
• Luc Lamprière, INGO Forum Director representant@forumongi-rdc.org The INGO Forum in DRC is an independent body of over 124 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). Forum members cover all the country’s provinces and work in all humanitarian, development, and peace-building sectors. Most INGOs members of the Forum have an active presence in Eastern DRC, including the provinces of North and South Kivu.

Note to editors:

• According to information collected by humanitarian NGOs in Goma, almost all camps along the Kanyaruchinya axis (north of Goma) have been emptied and the latest estimate is that around 60% of IDPs from these camps are believed to be moving toward their places of origin. In contrast, in the areas west of the city, 80% of the inhabitants of camps that were abandoned, emptied, or destroyed during the battle of Goma, are still in the city and around, regrouping in overcrowded sites or with strained host families.
• Reports from the ground (UNICEF, OCHA, UN) highlight severe medical, nutritional, and protection concerns, including:
• Medical Emergency: As of 01 February 2025, 2,880 people have been recorded as injured, with hospitals facing critical shortages of fuel, beds, and medical personnel. With reports exceeding 3000 deaths, morgues are at full capacity, necessitating immediate burial of identified bodies.
• Disease Outbreaks: Increasing cases of measles, cholera, and suspected mpox threaten displaced communities, while medical centers struggle to maintain essential supplies.
• Looting and Supply Chain Disruptions: Medical warehouses, including those supporting cholera and mpox treatment, have been looted, exacerbating an already dire shortage of medical essentials.
• Protection Risks: Reports of widespread sexual violence, including a number of reported cases with children targeted, underline the urgent need for protection services and medical assistance.
• Education Crisis: The closure of 1,235 schools since 27 January 2025 has disrupted the education of approximately 204,000 children in Goma alone.