The European Union has announced more than €81 million in new humanitarian assistance as the escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of
the Congo pushes an already dire crisis in the Great Lakes region to unprecedented levels.
Fighting in eastern Congo has triggered fresh waves of displacement, overwhelming fragile systems for food, water and shelter. Women and children are bearing the brunt, facing heightened risks of violence, abuse and exploitation. Against this backdrop, Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, is on the ground in the region as the EU mobilises €81.2 million to address urgent humanitarian needs.
The funding will support life-saving assistance for the most vulnerable people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, while also helping Congolese refugees who have fled across borders. EU-backed projects will extend to Burundi, where humanitarian conditions remain fragile, as well as Rwanda and Tanzania, which are hosting growing numbers of displaced families.
During her visit to the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda, Commissioner Lahbib is assessing the most pressing humanitarian needs and pressing all parties to the conflict for safe and sustained humanitarian access. The mission follows discussions at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 29 January, where Member States unanimously backed her engagement and called for concrete humanitarian diplomacy initiatives. On the ground, the Commissioner is meeting government officials, humanitarian partners and visiting EU-funded aid projects.
Of the total €81.2 million package, €68 million will be directed to humanitarian operations inside the DRC, where conflict and displacement have reached critical levels. The funding will deliver food assistance, emergency healthcare and nutrition services, restore access to clean water, sanitation and basic shelter for displaced families, and strengthen protection services, including support for survivors of violence and child protection programmes.
A further €13.2 million will bolster the regional refugee response and improve disaster preparedness across the Great Lakes, enabling humanitarian partners to respond more rapidly to new displacement and crisis shocks.
A region under severe strain
The DRC is confronting one of the world’s most complex and severe humanitarian emergencies. Persistent armed conflict, repeated displacement, disease outbreaks and chronic poverty have left more than 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. In the eastern provinces, families are often forced to flee multiple times, seeking refuge in overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters. Widespread human rights violations, conflict-related sexual violence and acute food insecurity — affecting nearly 28 million people — continue to fuel suffering.
In neighbouring Burundi, the humanitarian situation remains precarious. Hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees are still displaced across the region, while many others are internally displaced by floods and landslides. Those returning home face steep challenges rebuilding their lives and accessing basic services such as food, healthcare, water and sanitation. Recent escalations in eastern DRC have further strained the country’s capacity, with tens of thousands of Congolese refugees arriving since late 2025 and placing additional pressure on camps, health facilities and water systems.
The European Union remains one of the largest humanitarian donors in the Great Lakes region. In 2025 alone, it allocated €129.5 million to life-saving assistance, the bulk of it for the response in the DRC and support for refugees across neighbouring countries — a commitment the bloc says it intends to sustain as the crisis deepens. Photo by MONUSCO Photos, Wikimedia commons.