Responding to Emergencies, Defending Dignity

Dear partners, humanitarian colleagues, and defenders of human dignity,

The year 2025 will forever be etched in the collective memory of the Democratic Republic of Congo as one of the most painful chapters in its recent history. The resurgence of armed conflicts, the dramatic fall of strategic cities like Goma and Bukavu, repeated violence in Ituri, et lesmassive population displacements throughout the East have plunged millions of families into indescribable distress.

In this context of extreme urgency, Humanitarian Action for Africa (HAA) reaffirms its unwavering commitment alongside affected populations. As a national organization rooted in field realities, HAA deploys its efforts in the most vulnerable areas to provide rapid humanitarian assistance, inclusive and dignified, in close coordination with local structures, authorities, and technical and financial partners.

Through our 2025 humanitarian response plan, we are mobilizing around four essential pillars: :

Each intervention will be driven by our vision of accessible, dignified, inclusive, and gender-sensitive aid, and will rely on an integrated community-based strategy fostering local resilience.

We express our deep gratitude to the partners who, despite logistical and security challenges, continue to show constant and courageous support. However, in view of the growing scale of needs, an intensification of mobilization and international solidarity is indispensable.

Today more than ever, the unity of our humanitarian action is the bulwark against neglect and indifference. HAA will continue to work, with faith, determination, and professionalism, to restore hope, dignity, and a future to those who have lost everything.

DRC 2025: Total Crisis in the East, Call for Integrated Humanitarian and Political Mobilization

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2025 is plunged into a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented intensity. This vast country is facing a multidimensional crisis combining worsening security instability, accelerated degradation of basic social services, proliferation of epidemics (cholera, measles, Mpox), recurring effects of climate change, and endemic structural poverty.As of today, more than 25.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including are in need of humanitarian assistance, includingdirect victims of conflicts, disasters, or institutional neglect.

North Kivu: a province under military and humanitarian pressure

Since the Capture of Goma by M23 in late January 2025,the situation in North Kivu has dramatically worsened. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced,humanitarian corridors interrupted, and entire areas, notably Rutshuru, Masisi, Lubero, and Walikale, are left without secure access to vital aid. Walikale, Attacks on humanitarian facilities, including the looting of a medical organization, have deprived thousands of people of access to nutritional and curative care.

The resumption of intergroup clashes in Rutshuru has forced many households to flee for the second or even third time,revealing widespread physical and psychological exhaustion. Meanwhile, access roads,,damaged or controlled by armed factions, limit logistical capacities, even for UN agencies.

South Kivu: hotspots of violence and a health crisis

In South Kivu, the situation is equally concerning. Since March 2025, armed clashes have caused the displacement of more than 70,000 people in the territories of Fizi, Kalehe, and Mwenga. Mass sexual violence, kidnappings, and village burnings have been documented, particularly in the areas of Minembwe, Lulenge, and Mubimbi. Tens of thousands of families are now living in the open, without access to drinking water, medical care, or minimal shelter.

The cholera outbreak affecting Uvira and Ruzizi has already caused over 240 cases and 10 deaths in just a few weeks, aggravated by shortages of supplies at the Sange treatment center. Security access restrictions, reduced funding (notably from BHA/USAID), and collapsing road infrastructure make humanitarian response extremely complex.

Ituri: opportunistic violence and persistent tensions

In Ituri, armed groups, particularly the milices CODECO et Zaïroises took advantage of the focus on North Kivu to intensify their attacks,,targeting civilians, farmland, and mining sites. These acts of violence prevent any return process and contribute tothe province's chronic instability. However,over 1,000 fighters have been demobilized since January thanks to the joint efforts of MONUSCO and national authorities under the disarmament program.

National context: calls for dialogue and political repositioning

Faced with the growing fragmentation of the country, the Head of State issued a solemn call for national unity in early March 2025, urging all social, political, and religious forces to rally around a common project for peace and sovereignty. This call follows broader consultations led by CENCO (National Episcopal Conference of Congo) and ECC (Church of Christ in Congo), which brought together community leaders, conflict survivors, and civil society representatives to chart a path toward national revival.

In the same momentum, the international community has imposed new targeted sanctions against the leaders of the M23/AFC and several Rwandan personalities accused of interference, human rights violations, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. While these measures aim to curb escalation, they also generate diplomatic tensions, , une heightened polarization, and a radicalization of war rhetoricin certain areas.

In summary, eastern DRC is experiencing a total crisis,which cannot be contained without an integrated approach combining humanitarian response, political dialogue, military de-escalation, and massive re-engagement of technical and financial partners. More than ever, enhanced coordination, coherent international solidarity, and inclusive national mobilizationare essential to break this vicious cycle of violence and humanitarian collapse.

Eastern DRC at the Crossroads of Crises: Conflicts, Displacement, Emergency

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to face one of the world’s longest, most complex, and most forgotten humanitarian crises. In 2025, 25.4 million people are in need of multisectoral humanitarian assistance, including over 7.8 million internally displaced persons. .This situation is exacerbated by the sharp rise in armed conflicts, worsening economic conditions, recurring epidemics, and the progressive collapse of basic social systems.

Situation in Eastern DRC

The provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu are the most affected by the crisis. The escalation of armed conflict, notably between the FARDC and the M23, supported by external forces, has worsened population displacement, violence against civilians, and humanitarian access.

Priority Humanitarian Needs

Major assessments (HNO 2025, IPC, OCHA Sitrep) identify the following critical needs:

Humanitarian Response Strategy

The 2024–2025 humanitarian strategy in the DRC is based on the following priorities:

A multidimensional crisis worsened by structural vulnerabilities

Beyond the alarming figures linked to conflicts and massive displacements, the humanitarian crisis affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2025 reveals a érosion profonde du tissu social, un deep erosion of the social fabric, a weakening of local capacities, and widespread humanitarian fatigue, both among affected populations and humanitarian actors. The simultaneity of armed, health, climate, and economic shocks is creating unprecedented pressure on communities already weakened by decades of chronic instability.

The eastern provinces, particularly North Kivu and South Kivu, are experiencing a progressive breakdown of traditional resilience mechanisms. Community solidarity networks are overwhelmed, Community solidarity networks are overwhelmed,

At the same time, psychological trauma linked to violence, repeated losses, and social despair is becoming a silent but widespread phenomenon, affecting both adults and children. In areas such as Kalehe, Shabunda, or Lubero, thousands of children live without access to stable schooling or safe spaces, which heightens their exposure to armed recruitment, exploitation, or forced migration.

The combination of conflicts with recurrent environmental shocks— floods, landslides, river overflows—worsens the loss of agricultural land, destroys humanitarian infrastructure, and isolates the most remote communities. These hazards disrupt agricultural seasonality and plunge entire households into chronic food insecurity, even outside direct conflict zones.

Finally, the progressive withdrawal of some humanitarian actors from areas deemed 'too risky' or 'inaccessible' creates an operational vacuum, quickly filled by armed groups or informal survival mechanisms, often contrary to humanitarian principles.