The Democratic Republic of the Congo's humanitarian crisis is one of the most protracted and complex in the world, rooted in decades of colonial exploitation, authoritarian rule, and cyclical armed conflict. Since the mid-1990s, eastern DRC has been the epicenter of violence involving dozens of armed groups competing for control of territory, natural resources, and political influence. The First and Second Congo Wars (1996-2003) drew in nine African nations and resulted in millions of deaths, earning the conflict the grim designation of "Africa's World War." While formal hostilities ended with peace agreements, the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri have never experienced sustained peace.
The DRC hosts the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa and one of the largest globally. Over 7 million people are internally displaced, with the majority concentrated in the eastern provinces. The displacement is highly dynamic, families are frequently displaced multiple times as armed group activity shifts across regions. Additionally, the DRC hosts over 500,000 refugees from neighboring countries including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, and South Sudan, making it both a major source and destination of forced displacement. Cross-border displacement into Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia adds a regional dimension to the crisis that strains host country capacities.