Ebola Adds to Hunger and Conflict
Welthungerhilfe (WHH) Expands Humanitarian Support in Eastern DR Congo
Bonn/Berlin/Goma, May 29, 2026. Nearly ten million people in the Ebola-affected provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are already suffering from acute hunger - and now a dangerous strain of Ebola for which there is no vaccine is additionally spreading there. Welthungerhilfe (WHH) warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, which are already affected by armed conflict, displacement, and severely restricted humanitarian access.
“People in eastern Congo have had no peace for years – first hunger, war, and displacement, and now Ebola as an added crisis,” warns Ursula Langkamp, Country Director of WHH in the DRC. “Many people are already struggling just to survive day to day. They don’t know how to feed their families, and there are hardly any health centers left. Due to the ongoing fighting, it is difficult for assistance to reach the villages. The dangerous Ebola outbreak is further escalating the situation,” says Langkamp.
In addition, cuts to international aid funds and rising transportation costs are exacerbating the situation. According to WHH teams on the ground, there are now conflict zones in eastern DRC where humanitarian assistance is no longer reaching people, even though it is urgently needed. The consequences of the war in Iran are also hitting the region hard. “When aid funds are cut at the same time that food and transportation prices are skyrocketing and borders are being closed, the lives of an increasing number of people are put at risk,” Langkamp emphasizes.
Particularly alarming is the spread of the Ebola epidemic in the city of Goma, home to millions, and confirmed Ebola cases have also been reported in Uganda. The Ugandan government has temporarily closed its border with the DRC. While humanitarian transports and food and goods deliveries are still permitted to pass, they are subject to strict controls. “The region is already at its limit in many places - without immediate measures to contain the outbreak and an expansion of humanitarian assistance, a catastrophe within a catastrophe looms,” says Langkamp. “People need an end to the fighting at last so that more assistance can reach the region.”
WHH is initially providing 100,000 euros from its emergency aid fund for prevention and hygiene measures such as handwashing stations, hygiene kits, and awareness campaigns. Together with partners, an EU-funded airlift of hygiene supplies - including soap, disinfectants, and protective equipment - is being prepared from a UN aid warehouse in Dubai.
Ursula Langkamp, WHH Country Director in DRC, is available for interviews.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,777 overseas projects in about 72 countries and territories have been supported with 5.42 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, through approaches ranging from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
