Serving Amid Violence: Aid Workers on the Frontlines of the DRC

 

Attacks on humanitarian workers are escalating at a devastating pace. In 2024, 383 aid workers were killed—a 31% increase from the year before—while hundreds more were injured, kidnapped, or detained. By August of this year, another 265 had already lost their lives, underscoring how rapidly the crisis is worsening.

Each attack not only endangers lives but also delays programs and impedes aid from reaching communities when it is needed most.

At Doctors of the World, our teams are witnessing these dangers firsthand. From Gaza to Haiti, the ability to deliver life-saving aid is increasingly under threat. This can also be seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where armed groups have displaced millions and left an already fragile health system on the brink of collapse. This program is funded by Doctors of the World USA, whose support ensures that essential medical aid continues despite the risks. For the safety of our staff, we keep their identities confidential.

Protecting aid workers is inseparable from protecting health itself. Without stronger action, the right to care for millions will remain at risk.

 

Crisis in the DRC: Context and Challenges

 

For nearly three decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has endured one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises, rooted in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Today, violence in the east has reached unprecedented levels, with armed groups expanding their reach and destabilizing entire regions. The conflict is fueled by a convergence of factors—armed violence, deep poverty, political fragility, foreign interference, and competition over the DRC’s vast mineral wealth, among the richest in the world.

Compounding the violence are recurring health emergencies. In recent years, the country has faced outbreaks of Ebola, Mpox, and measles, alongside a rise in malaria cases. These crises have further strained an already fragile health system, particularly in overcrowded displacement camps where cholera, respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases are widespread.

The result is one of the deadliest and most complex humanitarian emergencies of the 21st century. Nearly 7.3 million people are internally displaced, while 25.4 million face severe food insecurity. An additional one million Congolese refugees have fled to neighboring countries. Despite the immense scale of needs—outlined in the UN’s $2.54 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024—funding remains critically insufficient, leaving millions without essential support.

 

Escalating Violence in Eastern DRC 

 

 

In recent months, violence in eastern DRC has escalated sharply. Renewed clashes between militias have devastated communities in Uvira, Fizi, and Kalehe—killing more than 300 civilians in just two weeks, destroying schools and health posts, and displacing over 110,000 people after forced camp closures.

The fighting has cut off key humanitarian corridors, leaving aid groups unable to reach those in need. More than 1.15 million people are now crammed into under-resourced sites, where child malnutrition and risks of sexual violence are rising.

As one member of our DRC team explained, the conflict is forcing constant population movements, overwhelming fragile health systems, and disrupting the supply of essential medical materials. At times, violence compels humanitarian actors to withdraw, halting operations and preventing a continuous response.

 

The Human Cost: Aid Workers at Risk

 

Violence against aid workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo is rising at an alarming rate, reflecting a global trend. In July 2025 alone, 57 incidents were reported—more than double the 27 in June—including kidnappings, injuries, deaths, and widespread intimidation. So far this year, 354 incidents have been documented, most in North and South Kivu where Doctors of the World operates.

“These threats have forced us to suspend activities, delay responses, and withdraw from areas where access is denied,” says one staff member. The consequences are severe, creating three major challenges: overwhelming demand due to mass displacement, shifting needs such as mental health and gender-based violence support, and shrinking humanitarian budgets.

Access remains the greatest obstacle, with entire areas cut off by insecurity. As one team member explains, this leaves staff facing painful choices: whether to continue providing care despite risks, or suspend activities and wait for stability that may never come.

 

Delivering Care Under Threat: Four Strategies for Response

 

 

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors of the World teams have continued to provide care amid escalating violence and instability. Since the fall of Goma in early 2025, aid workers have faced constant threats while trying to reach displaced and vulnerable communities. Resilience, for these teams, means adapting, protecting one another, and finding ways to deliver care no matter the circumstances.

 

1. Prepare and Adapt
   Care in volatile contexts depends on advance planning and flexible staff. Anticipating medical stocks and preparing supplies for rapid delivery make it possible to respond quickly despite insecurity. As one team member explained, “anticipating stocks of medicines and other health products has been essential, enabling their rapid delivery to intervention areas, taking into account the security context.” Experienced staff able to adapt on the spot reinforce this resilience.
2. Engage Locally and Build Trust
   Community collaboration and dialogue with conflict actors are essential to safe, effective interventions. Local leaders help distribute medicines, share information, and mobilize prevention efforts, while ongoing dialogue with armed groups helps secure humanitarian space. This dual approach strengthens trust with communities and protects continuity of care.
3. Care for Caregivers
   Supporting staff wellbeing is central to sustaining operations. Peer mentorship, stress management, and committed leadership help staff cope with high-risk, high-stress conditions. One mental health referent noted, “Each team member is encouraged to become a true ‘resilience mentor,’ developing mechanisms for mutual support, stress management, and personal growth.” Managers reinforce cohesion and morale, ensuring teams remain able to serve even in unstable conditions.
4. Stay Mobile and Flexible
   Mobility enables care to reach people when violence cuts off access or facilities are destroyed. After clashes in Kalehe displaced thousands, mobile clinic teams quickly delivered urgent care and epidemic prevention. When Lake Tanganyika crossings became dangerous, teams relied on local boats to reach Uvira and Fizi—risking the journey to ensure aid arrived. Mobile clinics, rapid deployments, and local transport solutions embody the adaptability needed to keep care moving under threat.

 

Together, these strategies illustrate how care can be delivered even in the world’s most unstable contexts. For staff on the ground, resilience is not an abstract concept—it is the daily commitment to serve vulnerable communities with courage, solidarity, and constant adaptation.

 

Advocacy and Urgent Asks: A Call for Global Solidarity

 

 

Ultimately, the surge in violence against humanitarian workers not only threatens the lives of those who dedicate themselves to serving others, but also directly undermines the delivery of critical aid. Each attack, kidnapping, or forced suspension of activities leaves vulnerable communities without health services at the very moment they are most needed. In the DRC and beyond, protecting humanitarian staff is therefore inseparable from protecting civilian lives—the ability of aid organizations to operate safely determines whether displaced families receive care, whether epidemics are contained, and whether dignity can be preserved in the midst of a crisis.

Following World Humanitarian Day on August 19, the Doctors of the World DRC team highlighted their main advocacy demands, which focus on 3 key areas.

1. Firstly, we call on the Congolese authorities to facilitate safe humanitarian corridors in all areas of intervention, so that organizations can quickly reach populations in distress, including in areas that are currently inaccessible due to conflict or insecurity.
2. Second, we call on armed actors to protect humanitarian workers in the field, in accordance with the principles of neutrality and security that are essential for the effective implementation of missions.
3. Finally, we call on the international community to mobilize additional financial resources in order to respond appropriately to the growing needs of displaced populations and host communities. It is also crucial to support the well-being of humanitarian personnel, particularly through psychosocial support, to enable them to continue to intervene in crisis contexts such as that in eastern DRC. 

 

 

Photographs 

© Alexis Aubin

© Caroline Thirion