DR Congo: More than 30 million Congolese set to face hunger as conflict and Ebola compound crisis for children

KINSHASA, 30 October 2026 - The number of people facing crisis levels of hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surged by more than 2.3 million in less than a year, according to the latest analyses from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), released today. The data from the IPC, the world's leading authority on hunger monitoring, reveals that 28.8 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity between September and December 2026, up from 26.5 million people recorded for January to June 2026 [1]. The situation is expected to deteriorate further next year, with 30.3 million people projected to face crisis or worse levels of hunger by mid- 2027. The worsening hunger crisis in the country of nearly 120 million people is being driven by the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, with movement restrictions, disrupted livelihoods, rising household costs and pressure on health services all contributing to the massive projected increase, Save the Children said. Families living in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri - areas hardest hit by Ebola and conflict - are predicated to be the worst impacted. The Ebola outbreak combined with persistent conflict is putting children’s nutrition at even greater risk in a context where needs are already extremely high. Movement restrictions and fear of infection are affecting livelihoods and access to food and healthcare, increasing the risk of malnutrition, especially for young children, Save the Children said. For children infected with Ebola, the risks of becoming malnourished are particularly severe, as illness can reduce appetite and the ability to eat and drink, while symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting increase the risk of dehydration, making it harder for children to survive. Over 2,700 children have already been infected and hundreds have lost their lives, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). Young children remain particularly vulnerable, with children under five facing significantly higher mortality rates than the overall outbreak average. Between June and September 2026, more than 800 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition by health facilities supported by Save the Children in Ituri - a higher caseload than health and nutrition teams had anticipated, showing the rapid deterioration in child hunger in the province. Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s Country Director in DRC, said: “The trajectory is clear and deeply worrying: some 2.3 million additional people in DRC will struggle to secure enough food by mid-2027. Hunger is no longer confined to the frontlines of conflict. It is spreading through households already battered by displacement, economic shocks and now a growing Ebola outbreak. "In eastern DRC, families are being squeezed from every direction. As Ebola disrupts livelihoods and access to markets, many households are seeing the food they rely on become even further out of reach. For children, the consequences can be lifelong, with poor nutrition undermining health, growth and development at a time when they are already facing extraordinary risks. "These latest hunger projections should serve as a warning. Without urgent investment in both food assistance and disease response, the months ahead could see millions more people slide deeper into hunger, with children paying the highest price." As part of its Ebola response, Save the Children has provided food assistance – including rice, beans, cooking oil, and maize flour - to more than 1,000 children and adults who have recovered from the illness or are still undergoing treatment. Where children are separated from their caregivers, Save the Children teams are setting up safe spaces where children receive age-appropriate feeding, psychosocial support, protection and care, and are monitored for signs of illness. Save the Children is also scaling up its work to provide support for infants who are sick or unable to breastfeed - for example because their mother is sick with Ebola or has died - with safe alternatives to breastmilk and close follow-up, while helping mothers to continue breastfeeding wherever it is safe to do so. Save the Children has worked in the DRC since 1994 and supports children and families across DRC through health, nutrition, child protection, education and emergency response programmes, including in areas affected by conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks. Notes to editors [1] The IPC's previous analysis, published in May 2026, found that 26.5 million people, equivalent to 23% of the analysed population, were facing IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse levels of food insecurity between January and June 2026. The latest analysis, published today, indicates a further deterioration in food security conditions, particularly in eastern and northeastern DRC, where conflict-driven displacement continues and the resurgence of Ebola is compounding climatic and economic pressures.