Situation report April 2025, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The security situation continues to be a cause for concern in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ongoing violence is restricting civilian movement, disrupting access to basic services such as healthcare, and creating continuous population displacements. Displacement exacerbates health issues, including sexual and reproductive health challenges, with an alarming rise in maternal deaths and complications due to the lack of adequate care. It also exacerbates protection risks, with women and girls particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence in returnee areas in North and South Kivu and in the remaining overcrowded displacement sites in Tanganyika and Ituri.

To respond to the crisis, UNFPA deployed an additional 18 midwives in April, bringing the total to 169 midwives deployed in 27 health facilities across North and South Kivu. The midwives are supporting maternal healthcare services, including emergency obstetric and newborn care, as well as providing medical care to survivors of gender-based violence. UNFPA has also distributed 182 reproductive health kits to health facilities to meet the needs of 206,215 people, and provided 1,974 dignity kits to women and girls.

The termination of U.S. funding has reduced humanitarian funding in the DRC by more than two-thirds, jeopardizing ongoing interventions. Many NGOs and UN agencies have suspended or scaled down their activities, while humanitarian needs continue to surge. UNFPA is urgently appealing for US$42.3 million to scale up and provide life-saving sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services to 1.4 million people in DRC. As of the end of April, a funding gap of US$35.5 million remains, leaving women and girls without critical health and protection services.