Aid cuts having “catastrophic impact” in DRC, Oxfam warns, as hunger worsens

Reacting to the news Oxfam is warning that deep cuts to international aid are having a “catastrophic impact” on life-saving programmes, particularly in the conflict-ravaged east of the country, where hundreds of thousands of people are in urgent need of food, clean water and shelter.

Oxfam’s Country Director for DRC, Dr. Manenji Mangundu said:

“These latest figures show that conflict–driven hunger gripping the country continues to deteriorate with 1.7 million more people without enough food compared to the end of last year.

“The eastern side of the country - the epicentre of the conflict - remains one of the areas worst affected by hunger, with nearly half a million people already in desperate need of life-saving assistance, such as food, clean water and shelter.

“The impact of aid cuts on life-saving programmes continues to have a catastrophic impact. USAID was the leading donor in the country and most aid agencies relied on its funding to help people survive and rebuild their lives.  Without it, agencies have been forced to make extremely difficult decisions on who gets to live and who might needlessly die.

“The world cannot continue to look the other way, the situation is dire. Oxfam is calling on international partners to urgently scale up funding, to both alleviate immediate suffering and address the long-term food security needs.”

On the ground Oxfam is helping over 670,000 people in eastern DRC with food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance as well as hygiene kits for women and girls.