Food prices have soared in Goma since M23 rebels and their Rwandan backers took over the town on January 26, 2025. A report by ActionAid published on February 3, indicated that essential goods, including flour, beans, and oil, have seen price increases of 18% to 160% within a week.

The road blockades, a key factor in the price surge, have disrupted food supplies to the city, nested in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to ActionAid, nearly 90% of Goma's food supply comes from neighboring regions now inaccessible due to the conflict.

A resident quoted by Radio Okapi reported improvements since February 4. “Roads reopened,  and large quantities of food can come from Minova, Masisi, and Rutshuru.” The same source, however, added that household purchasing power has been diminished. “Banks are closed, several services are not operational, several shopkeepers have been looted and many residents reduced to unemployment,” the resident said.

The resulting food crisis threatens hundreds of thousands with malnutrition, with women and children at greatest risk. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 4.5 million children under five and 3.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women could suffer acute malnutrition in the next five months if things remain unchanged.

Olivier de Souza