DRC: millions flee violence in North Kivu
In North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fighting between the armed group M23 and the Congolese army is becoming more violent every day since the end of 2022 and is increasingly targeting civilians. Nearly 3 million people are displaced in this area and the humanitarian needs are alarming.
North Kivu, a province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been plagued by conflict for more than two decades due to the presence of many armed groups, including the March 23rd Movement (M23). Violent fighting between the M23 and the Congolese army (FARDC) has resumed in the area over the past two years, and the situation has deteriorated dramatically since January 2024.
The M23 is gaining ground in the east of the DRC. For months now, the armed group has expanded its presence up to a few kilometres from Goma, the capital of North Kivu, with clashes also taking place on the border with South Kivu province. Currently, the most intense violence is recorded in the Lubero area. These dynamics are aggravating the already massive population displacements. More than 1.5 million people had already been forced to leave their homes as of March 2022, but since the end of 2023, due to the ongoing violence in Rutshuru territory, a large number of people have fled northwards, seeking refuge in the Kanyabayonga area and also reaching the south of Lubero territory.
There are currently 2.8 million displaced people in North Kivu, of whom 540,000 are in the capital Goma and surrounding areas. Many of these people have been forced to move several times.
In total, more than 7 million people are internally displaced in the DRC, in what is one of the largest displacement crises in the world, second only to Sudan. Over 80% of the IDPs in the country reside in areas protected by the United Nations Integrated Peacekeeping Mission (MONUSCO), which has announced its withdrawal from South Kivu. This process could easily lead to a power vacuum and a subsequent upsurge in violence, human rights violations and further displacement.
The widening of the conflict and the escalation of violence in the east have resulted, in addition to mass displacements, a very serious protection crisis: the parties to the conflict regularly use heavy artillery and deliberately target civilians, including IDPs. Settlements housing IDPs in Sake and Goma were bombed in February 2024 and on 3 May 2024 at least 18 civilians – most of them women and children – died, while 32 were injured in attacks on IDP sites near Goma. On 30 June, two aid workers were killed and several injured in an attack on an aid convoy near Butembo.
Other violations, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, extrajudicial executions, forced recruitment, abductions and sexual violence, are committed with impunity. In April 2024 alone, more than 1.700 new cases of sexual violence were reported in settlements accommodating IDPs.
The ongoing conflict sees a further element of complexity in the involvement of neighbouring countries. The M23 armed group, in fact, is largely supported by Rwanda, while the Congolese army is backed by informal auxiliaries and allies from the Southern African Development Community. If not contained, therefore, the ongoing conflict in North Kivu could result in regional escalation.
The widening of the conflict and the escalation of violence in the east have resulted, in addition to mass displacements, in a very serious protection crisis: the warring parties regularly use heavy artillery and deliberately target civilians, including IDPs.
Needs grow but humanitarian access is increasingly hampered
25,4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo and most of the needs are concentrated in the east of the country. There is a lack of housing, basic necessities, water and adequate sanitation and hygiene services. There are also huge needs related to gender-based violence, health care and food security.
Displacement also exacerbates the humanitarian crisis, as displaced and host populations compete for scarce resources, creating tensions that can erupt into conflicts between communities.
Although humanitarian and protection needs are growing, ensuring that aid reaches the affected populations is increasingly complex. According to reliable reports, the parties to the conflict have militarised and established a presence inside IDP settlements, setting up their own artillery positions and putting both the displaced population and humanitarian personnel in grave danger. Humanitarian access is also restricted by bureaucratic impediments, roadblocks and non-compliance with international humanitarian law. The blockade of the two main roads leading to Goma, for example, is jeopardising the delivery of basic necessities, such as food and medicine, to the city’s two million inhabitants.
“The situation is increasingly complex, and urgent action is necessary to address the escalating protection and humanitarian needs of conflict-affected populations, both in camps and rural areas. To allow this, all efforts must be made to de-escalate the conflict, and to ensure the protection of civilians as well as safe and unhindered access for frontline aid workers engaged in the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.”
INTERSOS intervention
INTERSOS has been present in the DRC since 2009, with protection and access to health projects.
In response to the crisis caused by the conflict between the M23 and the Congolese army, our team in North Kivu is carrying out protection activities in particular targeting survivors of gender-based violence.
In addition, a very serious problem in this area is the shortage of water. This is why we carry out interventions to improve access to water and adequate sanitation services. We are currently trying to expand these interventions to meet the increasingly pressing needs of the displaced and local population.
Photo © René Van Beek per INTERSOS