Oxfam reaction to USAID funding cuts in DRC

Commenting on news today that the US has confirmed the termination of USAID funding for multiple life-saving projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Oxfam Country Director Manenji Mangundu said:

“These USAID cuts will have an immediate and devastating impact on millions of the world’s most vulnerable people who depend on humanitarian aid for survival.

“For the half a million people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, already desperate for food, water and shelter due to the spiralling conflict, the impact will be immediate and life-threatening.

“USAID was the leading donor in DRC and most aid agencies here relied on its funding to provide life-saving assistance. Without it, agencies will be forced into having to make terrible triage decisions including who gets to live and who might needlessly die.

“The health of up to one million people could be at risk due to the impact of this decision on the work of humanitarian agencies in the DRC. We will be forced to cut vital clean water and sanitation services, increasing the risk of the spread of cholera, measles and mpox.

“Multiply this by all the humanitarian agencies dependent on USAID funding not only in DRC but around the world, and the impact of this decision will be catastrophic.”

Ends

For more information contact Zara Sarvarian / press officer at Oxfam GB / 07584 265077 / zsarvarian1@oxfam.org.uk

Notes to Editors

· Oxfam is helping over 670,000 people in eastern DRC with food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance as well as hygiene kits for women and girls. Renewed fighting has led to an escalation of the humanitarian crisis with camps for displaced people destroyed and vital water and sanitation infrastructure damaged.

· The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the leading humanitarian donor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last year’s report indicates that it provided over $838 million in 2024 alone, including $414 million specifically for humanitarian needs resulting from the ongoing conflict and displacement.