Kinshasa, November 12th, 2026 (CPA).-The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was urged Thursday to step up its commitment to improving the food security situation of local communities during the presentation of the latest results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) framework in Kinshasa, the capital. “The Government must make greater efforts to provide sectoral ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, with adequate resources to improve the food security situation of local communities. We must redouble our efforts by providing realistic solutions to address this situation,” said Benjamin Toirambe, Secretary General for Agriculture and Food Security.
He recalled that the presentation of the latest results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification framework was an important exercise for the DRC.“The last analysis, conducted in November 2025, made it possible to identify, throughout the national territory, the number of people facing acute food insecurity, as well as the main contributing factors. Since then, several shocks have affected certain parts of the country, with significant consequences for food security and devastating repercussions on the well-being of the population. These include armed and inter communal conflicts, population displacement caused by clashes, floods, soil depletion and epidemics,” he said. The Secretary General indicated that one of the objectives was to provide the Government with a clear understanding of national food security trends improve decision-making and ensure better allocation of resources in order to address food crises in all their forms. Mr. Toirambe specified that the analysis of the 25th cycle of acute food insecurity was conducted throughout the country from September 21st to November 2nd, 2026. The provinces were grouped into regional clusters, notably those of Kananga, Kisangani, Kinshasa, Beni and Kalemie, with a view to establishing new classifications of the severity of food insecurity. He paid tribute to the experts and partners, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), for their support to the Government in carrying out this major undertaking. For his part, Alain Akpadji, Acting Humanitarian Coordinator, said that nearly 28.8 million people were currently facing food crisis or emergency conditions, adding that this figure could exceed 30 million in the first half of 2027. “The figures we are going to share are cold, but they also represent living realities. Behind them are human lives, women, displaced people and children. These analyses are an essential tool for informing our decisions and guiding our interventions on the basis of reliable and shared data. Nearly 28.8 million people are currently facing food crisis or emergency conditions, and this figure could exceed 30 million in the first half of 2027,” he revealed. Mr. Akpadji indicated that food insecurity was not simply a matter of food shortages. According to him, it was closely linked to forced displacement, health vulnerability and the loss of livelihoods. He stressed that it was therefore one of the main drivers of humanitarian needs in the DRC, particularly in the eastern provinces.“In many of these regions, which nevertheless have particularly fertile land and considerable agricultural potential, food insecurity is closely linked to the persistence of conflicts and violence, which restrict access to land, disrupt agricultural production, markets and people’s livelihoods. In this regard, the share of the Food Security Cluster in the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, representing 51% of financial requirements, reflects the scale of the needs and the central role of this sector in our collective response,” said the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator. He explained that the IPC framework was an essential tool for establishing a common analysis of food insecurity, monitoring its evolution and guiding decisions, responses and investments towards the areas and populations most in need. According to the results of this IPC analysis, the food security situation remains worrying in the DRC, particularly in the eastern part of the country, where persistent insecurity continues to undermine household livelihoods amid severe vulnerability and exposure to multiple shocks. Some 23% of the population assessed, representing nearly 28.8 million people, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) during the current period from September to December 2026. Of this number, 25.2 million people (20% of the population assessed) are classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), while 3.6 million people (3%) are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency).This situation represents a deterioration compared with previous estimates, particularly in the country’s northeastern provinces, due to the persistence of armed conflicts, population displacement and economic disruptions linked to the Ebola virus disease outbreak and conflicts, which are affecting households’ access to food.