EXPLAINER
Ongoing violence and instability, including fighting by M23 rebels, has forced millions to flee their homes in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises.
Ongoing violence and instability have forced millions to flee their homes, with at least 7,000 people killed in recent months and many more injured.
The violence this year has largely been driven by armed groups, particularly M23 rebels, who have intensified their offensive in eastern DRC.
In January, M23 seized control of Goma, the capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province, before capturing Bukavu, the capital of neighbouring South Kivu, in February. They have since continued to advance west.
Who are the M23?
The M23 rebel group was formed in 2012 by former Congolese soldiers, mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group.
The group takes its name from the March 23 Movement, referring to the date peace accords were signed in 2009 between the DRC’s government and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) that aimed to integrate its fighters into the Congolese army.
However, M23 later accused the government of failing to fully implement the agreement, leading them to launch their rebellion.
M23 briefly seized control of Goma in November 2012 but was defeated and forced into exile in 2013. After nearly a decade of dormancy, the group resurfaced in late 2021 and has since intensified its military campaign in eastern DRC.
According to United Nations experts, Rwanda backs M23 with troops and ammunition. Kigali, however, denies the accusations.
M23 rebels’ rapid advance
The latest round of conflict escalated in December 2024 after peace talks in Angola between the presidents of DRC and Rwanda were cancelled over disagreements about M23. Rwanda had insisted on direct dialogue between DRC and M23, which the Congolese government at the time refused.
- January 27, 2025 – M23 captures Goma: In the worst escalation in a decade or more, M23 fighters took control of eastern DRC’s largest city, Goma – a crucial humanitarian hub near the Rwandan border, home to more than 2 million people.
- February 16, 2025 – M23 captures Bukavu: The rebels advanced into Bukavu’s city centre with little resistance, as DRC accused Rwanda of ignoring ceasefire calls.
- March 19, 2025 – M23 captures Walikale: The rebels seized the mining hub Walikale in North Kivu, the farthest west they have ever reached, dismissing ceasefire calls from DRC and Rwanda. They later said they would withdraw from the town in a peace gesture.
More than seven million people displaced
The DRC is home to one of the largest populations of displaced people around the world.
More than 7 million people are displaced, including 3.8 million in North and South Kivu provinces in the east of the country.
Nearly 780,000 people were forced to flee their homes between November 2024 and January 2025 alone.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, since January 1, more than 100,000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries, with 69,000 seeking refuge in Burundi, 29,000 in Uganda, and about 1,000 in Rwanda and Tanzania.
A quarter of the country faces food shortage
The security situation in Goma, a key humanitarian hub, remains highly volatile, with movement restrictions hindering aid delivery to those in urgent need.
The DRC has a population of some 112 million. Before the latest escalation, 21 million people across the country already needed humanitarian aid – the highest figure globally, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
By the end of 2024, armed conflicts, rising food prices and epidemics had pushed 25.6 million people – nearly a quarter of the population – into acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse).
According to OCHA, 2.7 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri were already facing severe food shortage before the latest escalation.
Looting of humanitarian infrastructure and warehouses has further crippled relief efforts, with large quantities of food, medicine, and medical supplies lost in targeted attacks on humanitarian organisations.
