Violence in DR Congo has led to thousands seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
Since the armed group M23, backed by Rwanda, launched an assault in January, capturing significant territories in eastern DRC, a estimated 70,000 individuals have fled to Burundi, the WFP notified on Monday.
This influx has increased the total number of people relying on WFP’s food aid in Burundi to 120,000, according to the United Nations agency in a statement.
Current funding levels are only sufficient to maintain operations for 120,000 refugees until June, the WFP stated, noting that it has reduced refugee rations by 50 percent this month. An additional $19.8 million in funding is needed to provide assistance through the end of the year.
“Daily, new refugees arrive – some carrying hastily packed items, while others have nothing but what they wear. We are thankful for the funding we have received so far, but it is insufficient. Our resources are stretched to the limit, and we are reducing our operations and rations,” said Dragica Pajevic, WFP’s deputy regional director for eastern Africa.
The WFP distributes meals to refugees temporarily housed in transit camps, schools, churches, and sports stadiums.
The prolonged conflict in DRC, which escalated into violence in early 2025, has sparked one of the world’s most significant displacement crises. Over 7,000 deaths and numerous injuries have been reported, displacing millions of people.
In January, M23 captured Goma, the capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province, and then seized Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, before pushing further west.
Without additional funding, the WFP expects to halt food assistance in Burundi by July at the latest. The ongoing violence and instability also threaten to further increase the number of refugees, exacerbating the shortfall in resources.
The funding shortages are exacerbated by the cuts at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration announced on March 10 that 83 percent of USAID’s programs have been cancelled following a six-week assessment.
Financing gaps have alerted humanitarian workers across the Global South, where the removal of USAID’s support threatens to undermine decades of progress against malnutrition, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola.
