ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
A war between militants backed by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has plunged millions of people into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Even though DRC has struggled with violence and hunger for decades, this year a group called M23 captured two big Congolese cities. Civilians in eastern Congo are now cut off from electricity, food and water. The U.N.'s World Food Programme says 28 million people face crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity. The program's executive director, Cindy McCain, is in DRC, and she joins us now. Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate you covering this.
SHAPIRO: Can you tell us some of what you've seen on this trip?
MCCAIN: Yes. You know, we started this morning in Beni, and now I'm in Bunia, as you said, and what I've seen is exactly as you just described. DRC urgently needs to bridge the funding gap. I mean, this is something - we can't operate without this. And if we do - if we wind up not bridging this gap, about 1.3 million people are at risk of losing their food assistance this summer.
SHAPIRO: Paint a picture for us, if you would. Are these formalized refugee encampment sites and food distribution points, or is it more dispersed? What have you seen?
MCCAIN: It's a lot of things. It's all of the above that you just mentioned. And then, of course, we have some sites where we do cash distributions where they can buy on the local market. There are situations here where you can do that. And there's other, you know, ways - I mean, there's small encampments kind of predescribed that people just, all of a sudden, they set up shop, you know, meaning their encampment themselves, and they're not in what we would consider an organized refugee camp or an IDP camp.
The bottom line here, though, Ari - I'll be honest with you - is this region needs peace. You know, this is - peace would be so helpful here. We, the WP, would be able to get in at scale, and other organizations would be, too. So all of it is - you know, all the above is so necessary and so important for this particular region.
SHAPIRO: I know there have been some U.S.-led peace talks in recent weeks.
MCCAIN: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: Have they made any difference, as far as you can tell on the ground there in DRC?
MCCAIN: Well, they're talking about it. And I've met with two governors today, and both governors mentioned the peace talks and the importance of them and the importance of keeping them alive.
SHAPIRO: And yet, even if peace is reached, food assistance will be necessary. And the U.S. used to be the biggest single provider of aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Trump administration ended that support by gutting USAID. Have you been able to see the impact of those cuts?
MCCAIN: Yes, I mean, we've seen the impact of the cuts. Because one of the reasons - I mean, one of the things that we use here that is so important in DRC is, of course, UNHAS, our airline. And we're in a situation now we've got to be able to keep it flying. That's how tight it is. And to be able to keep it in the air, we're going to need 12.5 million before the end...
SHAPIRO: Oh, so this is not...
MCCAIN: ...To be able to just...
SHAPIRO: ...Just about distributing flour or rice...
MCCAIN: No.
SHAPIRO: ...Or medicine. It is about the actual...
MCCAIN: No.
SHAPIRO: ...Airplanes that get that stuff to remote locations.
MCCAIN: Exactly. And get the people that distribute it to remote locations. This airline is lifesaving and life-changing in this region, and if we - if it can't continue to fly, then the ability to be able to really support this area is almost devastated from it.
SHAPIRO: Your organization, the WFP, has said it will need to eliminate 25- to 30% of staff. And other humanitarian organizations are also cutting back, while DRC faces not only hunger, but violence and diseases from mpox to cholera to measles. Are people going to die because of these cuts?
MCCAIN: Yes. I can say people will starve to death because if there's no access to food and then there's conflict along with that, the ability for people to even scrounge food other places is almost impossible. You know, in situations like this, you know, the various factions that are in here make it very difficult for people to really survive in any fashion. Food security here is regional stability, and the only way we can do that is to be able to get the food in.
SHAPIRO: I know you're focused right now on your travels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but as the executive director of the World Food Programme, I would also love to ask you one question about Gaza, which is another area of focus for you. Israel has allowed some aid trucks to enter after blockading the territory for almost three months. It's not clear...
MCCAIN: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: ...How many aid trucks have gone in. The head of the new U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation just quit, saying it would be impossible to do the job without compromising basic humanitarian principles. What is your reaction to these latest developments?
MCCAIN: Well, the fact that there is not a ceasefire but the fact that there is some aid going in is - has caused chaos, and you've seen it - we've all seen it on the news, and we're seeing more of it today. During the height of the ceasefire, WFP was getting in 600 trucks a day with 400 distribution points. And right now they have two distribution points on the ground. We are the only agency that can do this and do it at scale and do it right and keep our people safe as well as the people on the ground safe that are in need of the food distributions. I'm hoping that better heads prevail and we will be able to do this as it comes forward, but in the meantime, I pray for the folks on the ground.
SHAPIRO: Executive director of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, speaking with us from Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thank you very much.
MCCAIN: Thank you. I appreciate it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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