Humanitarian operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing a significant setback, as the United States' recent suspension of foreign aid has severely impacted relief efforts.
Bruno Lemarquis, the top United Nations aid official in the country, highlighted in a conference on Tuesday that the U.S. contributed 70% of the funding for last year's humanitarian response plan, totalling $1.3 billion, with $910 million coming from Washington.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid just days into his presidency, many essential programs have had to halt, leaving millions of displaced Congolese without life-saving support.
The humanitarian situation is particularly dire as the country grapples with an intensifying insurgency in its eastern regions, which has displaced hundreds of thousands, with M23 rebels now threatening to advance on Bukavu.
Lemarquis emphasised the heavy reliance on U.S. funding, stating that emergency health and shelter programs were the hardest hit, and some U.N. coordination efforts were forced to come to a standstill.
As of now, the U.S. has given the green light for some programs to resume, but uncertainty continues to cloud the future of aid in the region. For now, it remains to be seen how much longer these humanitarian programs can endure amidst shifting U.S. foreign aid policies.