The European Commission has pledged a further €40 million in humanitarian assistance for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), subject to the approval of the budgetary authority. It comes as the EU co-hosted today, with the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator and the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, a high-level roundtable event on the drastically deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC. The EU had already announced €60 million for the country in January 2025, with today’s pledge bringing total aid to €100 million in 2025.
Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said: “The crisis in the DRC is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes. More than 20 million people need humanitarian assistance, and more than 7 million people are internally displaced. The suffering is immense. I have convened this Ministerial Roundtable as a call to action: we must turn words into aid, commitments into relief, and solidarity into lasting solutions. The EU has responded decisively to this crisis, and we are stepping up our comprehensive support for the people of the DRC. The world cannot look away — now is the time to act in a spirit of humanity and global solidarity.”
Responding to the rising humanitarian needs in the eastern DRC, the EU also organised a Humanitarian Air Bridge operation. The first leg of this operation has already transported 44 tonnes of EU aid including shelter, hygiene kits and blankets to be distributed to families in Masisi territory. Further flights and road convoys are planned to deliver additional supplies to our humanitarian partners on the ground and reach the most vulnerable populations impacted by escalation of violence and displacement in eastern DRC.
