WASHINGTON—A new report from the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) finds that women and girls in the North and South Kivu regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are experiencing the most dangerous convergence of crises in a generation: a rapid resurgence of conflict and violence, mass displacement, and the near-collapse of humanitarian funding—driven by a 95% US humanitarian funding cut.
The report, “We Have Abandoned Them,” co-authored with a displaced young woman from the DRC, details the convergence of crises, drawing on testimonies from eight women-led organizations (WLOs) and 10 displaced women in the DRC:
- Aid Cuts Trigger Widespread Program Closures: US funding cuts have effectively halted the national NGO system and compounded the crisis on the ground. One WLO said, “What made it worse was the USAID funding cut.”
- Frontline Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) at Extreme Risk: WLOs, who anchor community stability, monitor abuses, and provide life-saving services for women and girls, are defunded or shuttered. In the words of one WLO, “We are starting again from scratch.”
- Widespread Displacement of Women and Girls: 60% of the nearly 6 million people displaced are female, and one-third are children. “Now we live on the streets,” said one displaced woman.
- Collapse of Essential Health Services: 85% of facilities lack medicines; 40% are understaffed; and first-quarter 2025 data show a 4x increase in stillbirths, a 50% drop in healthcare visits for children under five years of age, and vaccinations cut in half.
- Extreme Violence Against Women and Girls: In early 2025, nearly 500 cases of sexual violence were reported in just one week in the Goma area. One woman reported that girls as young as six were taken to the M23 bases and raped, and that girls who resisted were killed.
“Even if movement toward a peace deal continues, the reality for women and girls on the ground remains unchanged,” said Sarah Costa, WRC’s Executive Director. “As our local partners put it, this is a double crisis: escalating attacks coupled with disappearing resources. Meanwhile, women continue to be excluded from peace negotiations, leaving them shut out from decisions that will affect their lives.”
“Armed violence is rising, and women-led organizations have lost funding or are shutting down, leaving no local support for women and girls,” said Oricia Ngenyibungi, a young woman displaced from the DRC and co-author of the report. “Women and girls deserve an immediate end to the conflict and a sustained humanitarian response that protects their rights and delivers justice and accountability for survivors.”
WRC warns that without rapid diplomatic pressure to end violence, ensure humanitarian access, and invest in the work of frontline women’s organizations, the consequences will be irreversible: rising maternal deaths, mass hunger, unchecked sexual violence, and the collapse of the only institutions communities still trust.
The report urges governments to strengthen diplomatic pressure on all parties to the conflict, including the governments of the DRC and Rwanda, as well as armed actors including M23/AFC, ADF, RDF, and FARDC, to cease hostilities, end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and end the targeting of humanitarian actors with violence and intimidation. Humanitarian responses must ensure targeted care for women and girls, and donors must urgently scale up investments in WLOs, who are on the frontline of providing protection and care. All peace negotiations and agreements must prioritize the protection and inclusion of women and girls.
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