Constant violence and instability, including the struggle by the M23 rebels, forced millions to escape from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces one of the world’s greatest displacement and humanitarian crises.
Constant violence and instability have forced millions to flee their homes, at least 7000 people killed in recent months and many more injured.
Violence this year was mostly launched by armed groups, especially the M23 rebels, which enhanced their offensive in the Eastern DRC.
In January, M23 seized the control of Goma, the capital mineral The N Since then, they have continued to progress in the west.
Who are m23?
AND M23 rebel group They formed in 2012 former Congoon soldiers, mostly from the Tutsi ethics group.
The group is named after March 23, referring to the date of the dormancy agreement, it was signed in 2009 between the DRC Government of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), which aimed to integrate its fighters in the Congolian army.
However, M23 later accused the government of not fully implementing an agreement, which made them start his rebellion.
The M23 briefly seized control of Gom in November 2012, but was defeated and forced into exile in 2013. After almost a decade of sleep, the group reappeared at the end of 2021 and has since enhanced its military campaign in the east of DRC.
According to the United Nations experts, Rwanda supports M23 with troops and municipality. Kigali, however, denies the charges.
M23 rebels quick progress
He escalated the last round of conflict in December 2024 after peace negotiations in Angola were canceled between President Drc DRC for disagreements around M23. Rwanda insisted on a direct dialogue between DRC -AI M23, which at the time rejected the Congolian government.
- 27 January 2025 – M23 records Gom: In the worst escalation in the decade or more, the M23 fighters took control of the largest city of Eastern Drc, Goma – a key humanitarian environment near the Rwande border, home more than 2 million people.
- February 16, 2025. – M23 recorded noise: The rebels made a little resistance in the city center of Bukavu, because DRC accused Rwanda of ignoring the calls of the tribute.
- March 19, 2025 – M23 records Walikale: The rebels seized the mining center in the northern Kivu, the farthest west they had ever arrived, rejecting calls for the DRC Rwande truce. Later they said they would withdraw from the city in a quiet gesture.
More than seven million people displaced
Drc is the home of one of the largest populations of displaced people around the world.
More than 7 million people have been displaced, including 3.8 million in Provinces North and South Kiva to the east of the country.
Almost 780,000 people were forced to escape from their homes between November 2024 and January 2025.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 100,000 refugees went to neighboring countries from January 1, and 69,000 were looking for refuge in Burunda, 29,000 in Uganda, and about 1,000 in Rwanda and Tanzania.
A quarter of the country faced with a lack of food
The safety situation in the crowd, the key humanitarian center remains very unstable, and the limitations of the movement interfere with the help of helping those in the emergency need.
DRC has a population of about 112 million. Prior to the last escalation, 21 million people across the country have already needed humanitarian aid – the highest number globally, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
By the end of 2024, armed conflicts, growing food and epidemic prices pushed 25.6 million people – almost a quarter of the population – into acute food uncertainty (IPC phase 3 or worse).
According to Ocha, 2.7 million people in northern Kivu, southern Kivu and Itur have already faced a serious lack of food before the last escalation.
Robbing humanitarian infrastructure and warehouses Further exertion for help, with large quantities of food, drug and medical supplies lost in target attacks on humanitarian organization.
