In the midst of a preexisting humanitarian crisis, political upheaval, armed violence and mass displacement, the people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been suffering at the hands of the rare Bundibugyo virus, a severe strain of Ebola.
Since DRC first reported the outbreak on May 15, there have been 3,360 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths as of July 27. Every 20 days, the number of cases doubles, and between July 28 and July 29, the epidemic caused 50 deaths. Confirmed infections have been detected in Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo provinces.
In the two months the disease has been spreading throughout affected areas, it has caused a death toll that usually takes eight months to see in West African nations– a fourfold disparity.
“This is the fastest-growing Ebola crisis ever,” said Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), in a July 29 briefing on the situation. “We need an all-rounded response. This requires… a broader set of tools, and that includes food.”
One of the requirements to contain the virus is having those affected to isolate, as to mitigate the already alarming spread, but this is implausible in a region where food insecurity runs rampant. Currently, 10 million people in DRC are acutely food insecure, with 3 million ranking at Phase Four food insecurity per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) five-level scale.
IPC Phase Four is considered an emergency; households either have a large food consumption gap reflected in high acute malnutrition and increased mortality. It is one step away from being considered a famine or hunger catastrophe. In this phase, it’s not unlikely for people to go to bed and wake up hungry day in and day out.
“The gap between the epidemic and our response is widening,” said Julien Harneis, U.N. senior Ebola coordinator. “The epidemic is worsening an already difficult humanitarian situation.”
So far, WFP has served 160,000 hot meals and has delivered food parcels to 20,000 affected isolated families, but this is still not enough. In the past, communities affected by distressing hunger would survive through nongovernmental organization camps and the WFP for food, but due to a lack of funding, those resources are stretched thin.
Due to a crumble of U.S. support between 2024 and 2025, more than 30% of global humanitarian funding vanished, decreasing from $14 billion to $3.7 billion. One year ago, WFP assisted 3 million people, but today, the organization can only support 1 million, signifying a two-thirds drop in assistance capabilities.
“Food is essential in this response,” Skau said. “You cannot force people to choose between hunger and health,” Skau said. “People here are exhausted from years of conflict, from repeated displacements, from crisis after crisis… that has been hitting them.”
Violence Concerns Amid an Epidemic
For decades, violence exacerbated by the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide and the Congo Wars has burdened people living in DRC.
In December 2024, violence intensified between the armed parliamentary rebellion group March 23 Movement (M23)/Congo River Alliance (AFC) and the Congolese Army in DRC. The fighting took place in North Kivu, affecting places like its capital, Goma, and territories like Masisi and Mweso, as well as South Kivu.
The incessant violent clashes have caused a wave of mass displacement in Eastern DRC, causing 7 million people, 2 million of which were in Ituri, to flee their homes. Skau shared that most of the people he has spoken to in the eastern region have had to move four to five times since 2019. When displacement like this occurs, families must uproot and rebuild their lives with no safety or proper shelter, and the risk of being robbed looming over them.
Displacement that is worsened by armed conflict in the time of a formidable epidemic can hinder health care plans made to keep the disease’s spread at bay.
“Although overall levels of political violence have remained broadly stable in areas affected by the Ebola outbreak, some developments involving the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), also known as the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) and the M23 are particularly concerning,” Senior Africa Analyst at Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) Ladd Sewart told The Informer.
Activity from the ADF, a Ugandan Islamist rebel group, intensified in May, as they consistently clashed with military forces, causing at least 250 deaths that month. The organization also began increasing operations in Haute-Uele, which now has 39 confirmed Bundibugyo cases.
When fighting Ebola, the key to higher survival rates is reliable access to quick health care– something that could become complicated in the midst of political tensions. Infection treatment could also be used as leverage for armed groups to reinforce their power, which could add to the existing upheaval.
Sewart shared that while M23’s control in the region is being challenged, the group could use the outbreak to its advantage, especially if health responders need to communicate and coordinate with the group’s authorities and with facilities operating under its administration.
“Although this practical engagement does not amount to formal political recognition, it can normalize interaction with M23’s parallel institutions and allow the group to present itself as a capable governing authority,” Sewart told The Informer. “By coordinating disease surveillance, treatment and other essential health services, M23 may also seek to build legitimacy among local residents.”
The majority of violence directed at health care providers consists of upset mobs and violence as a response to the strict handling of Ebola patients and those who have died from the outbreak. In order to ensure these professionals remain safe and those infected seek immediate treatment, Harneis said deeper community trust needs to be built.
Even with further trust, the people of Congo are in dire need of funding for the resources critical of their survival. According to the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), the situation requires $2.1 billion, of which 55% remains unfunded. Skau says $75 million is needed to provide logistics such as warehousing, air services and food.
“This situation requires much more attention,” Skau said. “The funding we have… is far from enough.”
