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STORY: UN / DRC IPC REPORT
TRT: 04:00
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nation headquarters
27 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room, speaker appears on screen
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, World Food Program (WFP):
“The data shows that 27.7 million people in the DRC are facing acute food insecurity. This is an unprecedented level. This is the highest level on record that we've seen in the country.”
4. Med shot, journalist
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, World Food Program (WFP):
“Since December, we've seen these accelerated displacements in the east of DRC. We've seen a disruption to trade in markets. Banks in the east of DRC have been closed. That's causing a liquidity crisis that's having an impact on commodity prices. It's having an impact on people's ability to survive and to implement their livelihoods. The insecurity is also affecting farming in the east of the DRC. So, the situation is bad. Now it could possibly get worse.”
6. Med shot, journalist
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, World Food Program (WFP):
“Give you the highlights again, 27.7 million people in IPC phases 3 and 4 in in DRC; 3.9 million in Phase 4. The problem is concentrated in the east of the DRC. The IDP population, the internally displaced population, is quite affected, and we've seen an increase of 2.5 million people since the last time we did an IPC in the DRC.”
8. Med shot, journalist
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“Yeah, pretty bleak picture. I'm talking to you from Kinshasa, the capital. I have spent time in Goma, and it's really hard to basically understand the fact that this isn't also a new crisis. This has been going on for decades. Others will tell you that, you know, they are now having to sell what little they have to find food. Many will go without food to feed their children. They're forced into malnutrition, higher risk of disease and mortality. Let's not forget that we already have cases of mpox, more than 80,000 and cholera, more than 7000.”
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“Crime has reached an alarming level. We have seen that insecurity has just paralyzed the local economy. And as Jean Martin mentioned, you know, banks are shuttered, shops are shuttered, and you know, this has had a massive knock-on effect on the local population, who are just also living in this climate of fear, of deep uncertainty.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“Food prices have gone up, everything from maize flour, cassava, cooking oil, all up by nearly 40 percent since December last year, the cost of fuel. Supply chains are tough for us.”
14. Wide shot, press briefing room
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“And just to give you a snapshot: we've been able to reach 600,000 people so far in 2025. Don’t forget, we're almost four months into this year, and in December alone in 2024 we were reaching 1.8 million. So, this is this is having a massive effect on humanitarian need to get to people.”
16. Wide shot, journalists
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“Let's not forget this country is one of the world's most fertile. It only, however, has 10 million of 80 million arable land that's cultivated. 50 percent of Africa's water resources are here.”
18. Wide shot, journalist
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Shelley Thakral, Spokesperson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP:
“But combination of factors, the conflict, food prices, fuel prices, poor infrastructure, poor tarmac roads, has just basically pushed these people further and further into hunger. And, you know, that potential has just been unexploited.”
20. Wide shot, end of press briefing
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing its worst hunger crisis ever, with 27.7 million people in acute food insecurity. “This is an unprecedented level. This is the highest level on record that we've seen in the country,” said Jean Martin Bauer, WFP’s Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis.
The food crisis is being fueled by a sharp escalation in violence and instability in eastern DRC, which has triggered widespread displacement, disrupted trade, and paralyzed banking systems.
“Since December, we've seen these accelerated displacements in the east of DRC,” Bauer said. “Banks in the east of DRC have been closed. That's causing a liquidity crisis that's having an impact on commodity prices. It's having an impact on people's ability to survive and to implement their livelihoods.”
The WFP said 3.9 million people are now classified in IPC Phase 4 - emergency levels of food insecurity - with the situation especially dire for internally displaced populations. Compared to the last IPC analysis, the number of people facing acute food insecurity has increased by 2.5 million.
Shelley Thakral, WFP Spokesperson in the DRC, joined the briefing virtually from Kinshasa and painted a stark picture from her recent visit to Goma.
“This isn't also a new crisis. This has been going on for decades. Others will tell you that, you know, they are now having to sell what little they have to find food. Many will go without food to feed their children,” she said.
Worsening the crisis, the country has reported over 80,000 cases of mpox and more than 7,000 cases of cholera.
“Crime has reached an alarming level,” Thakral said, adding that “this has had a massive knock-on effect on the local population, who are just also living in this climate of fear, of deep uncertainty.”
Food prices have surged nearly 40 percent since December 2024, with the cost of staples like maize flour, cassava, and cooking oil rising sharply. Fuel costs and crumbling infrastructure have further strained supply chains.
“We've been able to reach 600,000 people so far in 2025,” Thakral said. “Don’t forget, we're almost four months into this year, and in December alone in 2024 we were reaching 1.8 million.”
Despite its rich natural resources - DRC holds 50 percent of Africa’s water and has vast arable land - only 10 millions of its 80 million hectares are currently under cultivation.
“But combination of factors, the conflict, food prices, fuel prices, poor infrastructure, poor tarmac roads, has just basically pushed these people further and further into hunger,” Thakral said. “And, you know, that potential has just been unexploited.”
