Staff Reporter

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is struggling with one of the most serious and forgotten humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 21 million people, nearly one-fifth of the population, now in desperate need of aid.

The aid charity warned that the crisis is rapidly worsening, driven by escalating conflict in the mineral-rich eastern provinces.

The severity of the emergency is compounded by a dramatic two-thirds drop in international funding for critical aid over the past year.

The humanitarian disaster is most acute in the eastern DRC, a region plagued by three decades of violence.

Over 1.6 million people have fled their homes since the beginning of the year, bringing the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) to 5.2 million, the second highest number globally after Sudan.

The food crisis is severe with a staggering 28 million people suffering from hunger across the country.