September 08, 2026
That’s the message from the
World Food Programme (WFP), which is
calling for greater international support for the
population, particularly hungry people in remote areas far
from lifesaving Ebola
treatment centres.
“Ebola is a health crisis,
there’s no question about that,” David Stevenson, WFP
Country Director for the DRC, recently told UN
News.
“But at the same time, since Ebola is in
eastern Congo and that area is so tragically affected by
conflict, by food insecurity, by displacement, it needs to
have a comprehensive approach.”
On the brink of
starvation
Eastern DRC has long been a restive region
in a country that has battled Ebola 17 times since the virus
was first discovered some 50 years ago.
WFP has been
on the frontlines since the current outbreak was declared on
15 May. Caused by the rare Bundibugyo species, it is the
fastest on record, with more than 5,500 cases and 2,642
deaths in the first 100 days alone.
Mr. Stevenson has
visited Ituri province, the epicentre of the crisis, and has
seen how years of fighting, displacement and lack of access
to sufficient food have affected local
communities.
“It’s a place where there are over
500,000 people in IPC 4 of hunger and food insecurity,” he
said, referring to the five-phase classification scale used
by humanitarians (See
ourUN News explainer on the evidence-based IPC
index here).
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“That’s
one notch short of mortality from
starvation.”
Hunger hampers Ebola
response
The veteran humanitarian stressed that food
assistance is critical because when people go hungry, they
cannot prioritise other challenges, including
Ebola.
“If you can’t feed your family, it’s
pretty difficult to adhere to health protocols, which is so
necessary now,” he said.
“People changing their
behaviours, people becoming more compliant to what is needed
in the response of Ebola without the basic means to feed
themselves is not going to work.”
With the epidemic
moving faster than the response, underlying challenges must
be considered “and that means food assistance needs to be
part and parcel of the community
approach.”
‘Stunned’ at inaction
For Mr.
Stevenson, the main challenges are building more Ebola
treatment centres and securing more resources for food
assistance – and getting it out “to the very remote
rural areas.”
Despite logistical hurdles, including
“terrible” roads that are often impassible, “we always
find a way to deliver,” he insisted, but lamented seeming
international indifference.
DRC Ebola response is
among WFP’s top operations – alongside Ukraine, the Gaza
Strip, Sudan and South Sudan – and he uunderlined the need
for increased financial support.
“I’m stunned that
we don’t have the response from the international
community directly supporting the food assistance that’s
needed so that collectively we can end Ebola,” he
said.
“Given the level of the challenge that’s out
there, it’s really incumbent on me to be very clear with
such an appeal, and we’re asking for support
now.”
Good nutrition and medical care
Mr.
Stevenson has witnessed first-hand how medical care combined
with adequate nutrition is saving lives amid the
outbreak.
During a recent visit to an Ebola treatment
centre he saw a woman who “let out this amazing
smile”.
The head of the treatment centre explained
that she had been cured of Ebola and was now heading
home.
Most never get treatment
“The majority
of the people affected Ebola never get to a treatment
centre, hence the need for us to be helping build more,”
he explained.
“Obviously, this woman who had
recovered from Ebola recovered not only because of the
medical care she received, but also because of good
nutrition, because of food support, which is essential
collectively for individuals affected,” he
added.
“But, the same logic is true for the entire
province, for the entire region of Ebola – that you have
to have a comprehensive programme including food assistance,
and I think that’s now better recognised and needs to be
better
resourced.”
