More than 28 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not getting enough to eat, and hunger is expected to deepen in the coming months, according to the latest alert from the IPC global food security monitor, reported by UN News on Friday.

Source: UN News

The IPC — the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which grades hunger on a five-phase scale where Phase 5 is famine — forecasts that roughly 28.8 million people, or 23 per cent of the population analysed, will face high levels of acute food insecurity (Phase 3 or above) through December. More than 3.6 million of them, three per cent, are already in emergency conditions at Phase 4.

Source: IPC

28.8 millionPeople facing Phase 3 or worse hunger through December
3.6 millionPeople in Phase 4 emergency conditions
30.3 millionProjected Phase 3 or worse, January to June
10.4 millionPhase 3 or worse in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri

Yaani, in easier numbers: 28.8 million people is about 2.88 crore people — and the projection for early next year, 30.3 million, is just over 3 crore.

The east is deteriorating fastest

The alert, which covers the period from September 2026 through next June, said that while the national share of people in Phase 3 or above is only marginally higher than in the previous analysis, conditions have deteriorated more markedly in the northeastern and eastern provinces. North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri remain the hardest hit, with 10.4 million people in Phase 3 or above, and four territories within them — Djugu, Fizi, Shabunda and Walungu — are classified in Phase 4.

Displaced people, returnees, refugees and poor households are among those most affected. “In eastern DRC, conflict and violence continue to drive displacement, disrupt livelihoods and restrict access to food and markets,” the alert said.

Ebola, floods and rising prices compound the crisis

The food alert was published against the backdrop of a record Ebola outbreak that is about to enter its sixth month, with more than 10,000 cases recorded as of this week. The outbreak first emerged in Ituri province in the volatile east, where armed groups have terrorised the population for decades, and has now spread to eight provinces nationwide, UN News reported.

“A rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, recurrent disease epidemics, rising food and fuel prices, and the impacts of floods and other climate shocks are compounding vulnerabilities,” the alert said, leaving millions with only limited means to guard against hunger.

Worse expected in the new year

The IPC expects food security to worsen slightly from January to June, with some 30.3 million people projected to face Phase 3 or above, including 4.2 million likely to face Phase 4. The increase is expected to be driven by continued conflict and displacement, the spread of Ebola, and the anticipated impacts of El Niño — including flooding that could disrupt farming and market access — alongside rising food, fuel and farm-input prices and declining humanitarian assistance.

What the IPC phases mean

Phase 3 is 'crisis' — households face serious food gaps. Phase 4 is 'emergency' — critical shortages that threaten lives. Phase 5 is famine, the highest level on the scale.