Democratic Republic of the Congo Situation
Millions have been forced to flee.
Decades of conflict, political instability, epidemics and climate shocks have created one of the world’s most complex displacement crises. Millions of people have been uprooted from their homes, while escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to force families to flee within the country and across its borders.
Photo: © UNHCR/Ala Kheir
The people of DRC are in the grip of one of the world’s worst crises. Please help us reach refugees and internally displaced people with life-saving aid.
Essential items
including blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, buckets, and soap
Emergency shelter
for protection
Sanitation
including access to clean water
What is happening in the DRC?
As of September 2025, UNHCR estimated that around 8.2 million people were forcibly displaced in connection with the DR Congo situation. UNHCR has estimated that this number could reach 9 million by the end of 2026, including a projected 5.8 million internally displaced people. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees are hosted across Africa, nearly half of them in Uganda. The crisis is severely underfunded. UNHCR’s financial requirements for the wider DR Congo situation in 2026 total US$301.7 million, covering the response in DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. As of June 30, 2026, only 25 per cent of these requirements had been funded, leaving an indicative funding gap of nearly US$225 million.
How can I help people in the DRC?
The easiest way to give is through our secure online donation form. You can give monthly or one-time on behalf of an individual or a corporation. Your donation will help refugees from the DRC and internally displaced people who need it most – our donors make our work possible. All contributions to the UNHCR are 100% tax-deductible.
Where can I access the latest data and reports?
DR Congo Situation Operational Data Portal — for the latest population figures, regional updates, maps and reports.
What is UNHCR doing?
UNHCR is providing life-saving assistance and protection inside DR Congo and across the region.
- Providing life-saving protection and assistance to refugees, internally displaced people, returnees, and the communities hosting them across the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Supporting durable solutions by helping people safely return home where possible, relocate when necessary, or integrate into local communities.
- Strengthening asylum systems and legal protections to safeguard the rights of refugees and people at risk of statelessness.
- Providing environmentally sustainable shelters and improving access to basic services for displaced families.
- Working with communities and partners to build long-term resilience and strengthen peaceful, inclusive solutions to displacement.
- Advocating to prevent violence against women and girls and expanding social protection for displaced people and vulnerable host communities.
UNHCR is also working with governments, local communities, humanitarian organizations and development partners to strengthen emergency response systems and support longer-term solutions for displaced families. Despite these efforts, severe funding shortages are limiting UNHCR’s ability to provide shelter, protection and other critical assistance.
Did you know that the escalation of conflict in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since early 2025, has forced 127,000 people to seek safety in Burundi, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
“Being home gives us a freedom that we are proud of,” she says. “I want my children to have a better life.”
After 10 years in exile, Jeanne returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her 10 children through a facilitated repatriation convoy. Five of her children, including twins, were born while the family was living as refugees. Although life in the camp was supported by humanitarian assistance, she supplemented it by selling rice and beans to provide for her family.
Photo: ©UNHCR/Ala Kheir
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Please help DRC families.