Switzerland is allocating CHF 3 million to the humanitarian crisis in the DRC
Since January 2025, the conflict in the DRC has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and a similar number of wounded. In response, Switzerland is allocating CHF 3 million for humanitarian aid. This support package will go mainly to the ICRC and other partners on the ground who are already active in the areas of health, protection of the civilian population and emergency aid for displaced persons.
Since the attack by the M23 group, the humanitarian situation in North Kivu in the DRC has deteriorated dramatically. In response to this situation, Switzerland is making CHF 3 million available, of which CHF 2 million will come from emergency aid funds. The funding will provide additional support to the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC and other humanitarian partners on the ground who are already active in the areas of health, protection of civilians and emergency support for displaced persons.
Dire humanitarian situation
Since January 2025, the conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and caused a similar number of wounded. The situation of internally displaced persons has deteriorated further: many refugee camps have been closed in a chaotic manner and the whereabouts of the displaced persons remain unclear. This decades-long conflict has forced over six million people to flee their villages and towns. Over 70% of the health facilities in North Kivu are no longer functional or are critically impaired. The hospitals that are still operational are severely overburdened and face a shortage of medical supplies, as most medicine and food storage facilities run by international NGOs have been looted. Limited access to clean water and precarious hygiene conditions have also created a high risk of outbreaks of communicable diseases such as mpox, cholera, and measles. The breakdown of public order and the army's command structures has also led to an increase in sexual violence against women and girls. Additional risks include landmines and other unexploded devices. The humanitarian situation is currently difficult to evaluate, as the prevailing insecurity makes it difficult to assess needs and many international organisations and NGOs are working with limited capacity as they have had to evacuate staff. The closure of Goma airport has further exacerbated the ability to bring in humanitarian supplies. Switzerland will use its emergency funds to support those actors that are still operational in this challenging context, in particular the ICRC, as well as other international NGOs.
Development cooperation projects will be continued
The FDFA is closely monitoring the situation in the eastern part of the DRC and is responding flexibly to developments on the ground. The SDC office in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu, remains operational. Thomas Jenatsch, head of the Bukavu office, states: «We're continuing our work despite the challenging conditions because we're most needed in this situation and can make a real difference. We're also sending a signal to the local population that we're not abandoning them. We're getting a lot of positive feedback from the population: ‹It's heartening to see the Swiss carrying on with their work and not fleeing like other international actors,› they tell us.» The SDC has been active in international cooperation in the DRC since the 1990s.
Switzerland strongly condemns the attacks on the cities of Goma and Bukavu, which are home to millions, by the Rwandan-backed M23 group and the ongoing offensive in South Kivu and calls for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. It is calling for a ceasefire, the protection of the civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law. It also calls on the DRC and Rwanda to resume dialogue.
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