Day: 14 February 2025

Oxfam warns of an alarming humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC as aid groups struggle to respond in the face of funding cuts ripple effects.

Over 450,000 people are left without shelter, food or water in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the destruction of thirteen displacements sites in Goma, Oxfam warns. The crisis is increasingly alarming following the takeover of Bukavu, the capital city of South Kivu while funding cuts hinder the capacity of remaining humanitarian organisations to respond.

A surge in fighting has forced thousands of people to leave the displacement sites, many of which were destroyed or looted in the aftermath of the conflict. Many are now seeking shelter in overcrowded churches and schools in Goma. Many families are going back to their villages, only to find their house in shamble and struggling with immense needs. The fall of Bukavu has triggered mass population movement, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

An Oxfam staff member in Minova, located 45 km south-west of Goma, said: “The displaced people are returning en masse, there’s a lot of movement and the needs are enormous because the response has to be put in place and it will take time. Many are afraid to return to the village where they have already been attacked. People are traumatized. 25 cases of cholera have been recorded this week. There’s also Mpox. It’s a catastrophe. People are going to die.”

The ripple effects of the US funding cuts are dramatically affecting these communities, because USAID was the leading donor in the DRC and most aid groups were relying on their funding to provide lifesaving aid.

“We are forced to repair shattered equipment while people in desperate need go without help. Even worse, when the sites are finally up and running again, we may still be unable to assist them, as US aid cuts have put everything at risk. Unless the international community steps in, this crisis will spiral beyond control,” said Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxfam in DRC. 

Three displacement sites in Rusayo (Goma), where Oxfam provides assistance to over 100,000 people, have been completely emptied. Water tanks, latrines, showers and the water pipes were destroyed and septic tanks were left open. With little access to clean water and hygiene sanitation, the health risks are increasing as cases of measles, cholera and mpox spread, straining and already fragile healthcare system.

Families and communities are also struggling to get cash to buy food or return home. Following intense fighting over the last weeks, banks in Goma remain closed and money agents are operating at limited capacity. On top, prices are skyrocketing and pushing many families to the limit.

Contact information:

Rachel Schaevitz | [email protected]

Notes to editors:

The M23 takeover of Bukavu comes as African leaders convene at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa today (Saturday). The crisis has triggered massive population movements, with thousands fleeing their homes in the early hours of Friday, February 14.
In DRC, Oxfam works in Goma, Minova, Masisi, Lubero, Beni, and Mahagi. Oxfam staff reports that thirteen displacement sites in Goma, hosting 450,000 people have been emptied and subsequently destroyed, looted or dismantled. The destroyed sites are: Baraka, Buhimba, Bulengo, 8th Cepac Mugunga, Kayarucinya, Kibati, Lushagala, Lushagala Extension, Lwashi, Rego, Rusayo 1, Rusayo 2 and Rusayo Extension.
Oxfam is working to restore critical infrastructure and treating septic tanks to help provide water and sanitation to the affected communities of Goma. The effects of the USAID funding cuts hinder urgent response for 300,000 people displaced in and around Goma with urgent clean water, food and protection services for women and girls. Long-term funding for humanitarian agencies to support affected families remains uncertain.
The DRC continues to grapple with the devastating impacts of the Mpox outbreak, which has claimed lives further straining an already fragile healthcare system
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the leading humanitarian donor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last year report indicated that it provided over $838 million in Fiscal Year 2024 alone, which includes $414 million specifically for humanitarian needs resulting from ongoing conflict and displacement
Photos of abandoned sites and destroyed infrastructure are available on request.

Today, Oxfam America, an organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice, joined the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees in their lawsuit to defend USAID and U.S. foreign assistance from the Trump administration’s illegal assault. The three organizations are represented in the case by lawyers at Public Citizen Litigation Group and Democracy Forward Foundation. The administration’s attack on USAID has cut off lifesaving support including food, water, medicine, sanitation and more, and is already having life or death consequences for millions around the world.

As the complaint explains, by imposing stop work orders, freezing funding, putting staff on leave or terminating them entirely, and other actions, the Trump Administration has cost thousands of Americans their jobs and threatened U.S. national security interests. Oxfam America is joining this suit to emphasize how the suspension of foreign assistance has exacerbated existing humanitarian crises and placed an inordinate burden on it and other humanitarian organizations to make up a $63 billion shortfall. Without U.S. foreign assistance, millions of people could be left without clean water, sanitation services, medicine, education, shelter, protection, or other essential emergency relief in disaster and conflict areas around the world. Oxfam America’s partners and other humanitarian organizations will lose funding, our resources will be overstretched, and services that only USAID can offer will be permanently shut down.

Closing USAID without congressional authorization is unconstitutional: the President does not have the authority to dismantle an agency created by Congress. In addition to violating the separation of powers, shuttering USAID contravenes the Appropriations Act, which explicitly restricts the ability of the executive to reorganize USAID, and requires any attempt to terminate funding to receive approval from Congress.

“The Trump administration’s illegal assault on USAID is already having life-threatening, wide-ranging impacts, particularly on the millions of people around the world who are living through unimaginable crisis and who rely on urgent action to survive,” said Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America. “Oxfam America, like every organization and corner of the aid sector, is affected by this – whether directly by U.S. funding being cut, UN funds being impacted, or as resources and priorities are forced to change due to this new and uncertain reality. A president cannot unilaterally overturn the Constitution or U.S. law in order to shut down federal agencies. We need critical programs to go forward with all the necessary resources, and we need the U.S. to keep playing a leading role in saving lives around the world.”

“The illegal and immoral attempt to dismantle USAID would have grave impacts across the globe,” said Lauren Bateman, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. “Without court intervention, the actions of the Trump administration will have deadly consequences for millions, while undermining the constitutional role of Congress in establishing and funding the agency.”

Find the complaint here.

Oxfam America fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal. Join us at oxfamamerica.org.

/ENDS

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