A severe outbreak of Ebola virus is worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Conflict in the DRC has has already displaced more than 5 million people, most of whom are in the eastern regions.
Recent aid cuts affecting programs run by the United Nations and international aid groups mean that this disease outbreak is hitting when the country is already “stretched to breaking point,” according to Oxfam’s Country Director Dr. Manenji Mangundu.
Oxfam is working with partners such as AVUDS, Centre de Développement Intégral de l’Enfant Rural (CEDIER – Center for the integral development of the rural child) and Solidarité pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix (SOPROP, a civil society organization promoting peace and social cohesion) to help displaced people in North and South Kivu in eastern DRC with food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance as well as hygiene kits for women and girls.
We aim to reach 600,000 people in the eastern DRC, including people who have been displaced by conflict and the outbreak of Ebola. As of May 2026, Oxfam has reached 300,000 people.
Oxfam is urgently seeking $12 million to scale up its emergency response, and will aim to reach 200,000 people in the most-affected areas including Bunia, Beni, and Butembo regions.
