urgent alert from MSF as north kivu risks losing malaria funding in dr Congo

The GC8 cycle: financial decisions with life-or-death stakes

The GC8 cycle marks the next three-year budget period (2027-2029) for the Global Fund’s fight against malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. Grant applications, submitted based on national health priorities, are due by the end of July. Yet, in its current form, the North Kivu region—despite its ongoing armed conflict—is at risk of being omitted from malaria funding allocations.

These financial allocations directly determine access to healthcare in the country’s most vulnerable regions. « Over the past few years, the Global Fund has been a lifeline for North Kivu, providing the majority of available malaria treatments. Without this support, the situation will become catastrophic. Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease—yet in 2026, people continue to die from it or develop severe complications. This is unacceptable », warns Stéphane Doyon, MSF’s Medical Director.

North Kivu’s exclusion would occur at a time when the province is already battling multiple crises. The local health system, already weakened by years of conflict, is now under additional pressure from a worsening Ebola outbreak. The overlapping symptoms of malaria and Ebola further strain already overburdened health facilities, delaying diagnoses and treatments.

Conflict and malaria: a deadly combination

« North Kivu is one of the provinces hardest hit by armed conflict. Repeated population displacements, food insecurity, and restricted access to healthcare have intensified malaria exposure and the risk of severe illness », explains Stéphane Doyon. Fighting between government-backed armed groups and the AFC/M23 has forced civilians into remote, forested areas—environments ripe for mosquito breeding and devoid of medical facilities.

In 2025, malaria accounted for 48% to 58% of medical consultations in health zones such as Bambo, Kibirizi, and Rutshuru, where MSF operates. In these areas alone:

• Over 255,000 uncomplicated malaria cases and 26,000 severe cases were treated by MSF, the Ministry of Health, and partners.
• More than 165,560 patients received care in MSF-supported facilities.

Malnutrition: a critical factor in an already dire health crisis

Malnutrition remains a growing concern in many MSF-supported health centers. When combined with malaria, it significantly increases the risk of severe complications and death, particularly among children under five.

Shortages and shrinking prevention efforts

Essential malaria prevention measures have already been scaled back in parts of North Kivu. Since June 2023, no distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets has taken place in historically supported areas. Between July and December 2025, the region received no malaria treatments or diagnostic tests due to logistical challenges.

To fill the gaps, MSF has had to procure medications and rapid diagnostic tests for several health centers. Our teams have provided:

• 53% of treatments for uncomplicated malaria;
• 35% of treatments for severe malaria in Kibirizi, Bambo, and Rutshuru—areas where MSF collaborates with the Ministry of Health and other partners.

This stopgap approach is unsustainable in a province as vast and crisis-ridden as North Kivu.

MSF’s urgent call for fair funding distribution

As the grant application deadline looms, MSF is urging the Global Fund and the Congolese government in Kinshasa to immediately reinstate North Kivu in the GC8 funding cycle. The organization is also calling on the Ministry of Health to prioritize resource allocation based solely on disease burden and civilian vulnerability—not political or administrative constraints.