The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the ongoing offensive launched last week by the rebel group Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On Saturday, the non-state armed group captured the town of Masisi in the eastern province of North Kivu. Intense clashes between the Congolese army (FARDC) and the M23 have forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes in less than a week.
According to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), the offensive has resulted in civilian deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of men, women and children, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in eastern Congo.
Bintou Keita, the UN Special Envoy to the DRC and head of MONUSCO, firmly condemned the offensive launched by the March 23 Movement (M23) on January 2, 2025, in violation of the ceasefire agreement signed between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda on July 30, 2024.
According to a group of UN experts, the M23 is supported by external forces from Rwanda, including Rwandan soldiers.
"This escalation of violence cruelly impacts civilian populations, marks a tragic turn at the start of 2025, and must cease immediately," said Keita.
"I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of these atrocities. I deplore the resumption of military offensives in North Kivu and call on all parties to fully support the ongoing Luanda peace process, under the leadership of President Joao Lourenço."
Keita urged all stakeholders to work constructively to end the violence and find a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in the region. She also stressed the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of the DRC and reiterated the United Nations' strong commitment to upholding this fundamental principle.
On Saturday, the M23 took control of the town of Masisi, the administrative center of the territory of the same name. Fighting has since continued further south in the territory, on the border with the province of South Kivu.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the influx of displaced people could worsen the dire situation in Masisi, which already hosts more than 600,000 displaced people. Despite the insecurity, aid agencies continue to operate and are preparing to resume activities to meet critical needs.
The medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Tuesday that it had treated some 160 people wounded in connection with the fighting.
"Between 3 and 6 January, MSF and Ministry of Health teams treated 75 wounded people at the Masisi General Reference Hospital and the Nyabiondo Reference Health Center," said Stephane Goetghebuer, head of mission in charge of MSF projects in North Kivu.
"In addition to providing this care, these two health facilities also sheltered hundreds of civilians for several days, who sought refuge there to benefit from increased protection."
As a result of the ongoing violence, MSF teams at the Minova General Reference Hospital and the Numbi Hospital, both in South Kivu, are also helping to treat many of the wounded.
"Fighting has been reported in the Numbi highlands of Minova in South Kivu. People have fled and 84 wounded are being treated at the Numbi hospital and the Minova general reference hospital," said Julien Gircour, MSF's head of mission in South Kivu.
According to MSF, its teams in Masisi, Nyabiondo, Minova and Numbi continue to provide medical assistance to the affected populations.
The continuing clashes are the latest in a three-year armed crisis that pits the M23 against the Congolese army and allied groups in eastern DRC. The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and seriously affected the already critical humanitarian and health situation in the east of the country.
"The armed group is now threatening to advance further into Masisi, as well as Walikale Territories, as well as in the administrative center of Lubero, in the northern part of the province," said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric in New York on Tuesday.
Since June, the M23 has occupied large parts of North Kivu and set up a parallel administration in areas under its effective control.
âWe reiterate that it is imperative that the group lay down its weapons and abides by the cease-fire in place since 4 August 2024. We also urge all parties to remain committed to the Luanda process,â Dujarric said.
A number of fragile ceasefires have been in place. The most recent ceasefire between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda has been in effect in the east since August 4. The indefinite ceasefire in the eastern region of the country was announced by Angola on July 30.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), violent attacks by various non-state armed groups have increased in the eastern part of the DRC in recent months, leading to further displacement.
At the end of December, more than 2.7 million people were displaced in North Kivu province alone. Between September and December 2024, aid agencies on the ground reported at least 138 people killed and more than a hundred others abducted.
The DRC has one of the largest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, with more than 7.3 million people scattered throughout the country, most of them - some 6.5 million - in the eastern provinces. More than 1.1 million refugees have sought safety in neighboring countries.
DRC's eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri have been wracked by violence for decades as non-state armed groups fight for control of the region's rich natural resources. Many of those forced to flee have been displaced multiple times. Humanitarian needs are acute, with protection, food, shelter and sanitation among the top priorities.
âPeople are constantly on the move as fighting stops or resumes, increasing their vulnerabilities of those trying to seek safety,â Dujarric warned on Wednesday, briefing reporters at UN Headquarters.
âThe conflict there also impacts humanitarian access. Many organizations maintain a limited presence on the ground, and we are closely monitoring the security situation to adjust operations.â
OCHA on Wednesday called on all parties to the conflict, as well as those with influence over them, to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian personnel and their assets, and to allow for unhindered and unimpeded humanitarian activities.
Also today, the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, expressed concern about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the eastern part of the DRC. He urged the conflict parties to prioritize dialogue within the framework of the Luanda and Nairobi regional peace processes.
The worsening conflicts in eastern Congo have prompted countries in the region to broker two peace initiatives: the so-called Luanda Process and the Nairobi Process.
The security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is dominated by the ongoing armed conflict in the eastern provinces, where the Armed Forces of the DRC are facing numerous non-state armed groups. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 130 armed groups reportedly active in the strategic and resource-rich region.
While attention has focused on the M23, numerous other armed groups - including the Mai-Mai groups, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), and the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) - continue to escalate attacks against civilians.
Armed conflict in the DRC has come at a high cost. According to the United Nations, the country is facing a double humanitarian crisis - an internal displacement crisis and a food crisis. While more than 7.3 million people are currently internally displaced, more than 25.6 million are suffering from acute hunger.
This means that nearly a quarter of the DRC's population continues to face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity, making it one of the largest food crises in the world. Of these, some 3.1 million people are experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 4), characterized by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, nearly 4.5 million children aged 6 to 59 months are facing or expected to face acute malnutrition, including approximately 1.4 million cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), which require urgent medical attention, and 3.1 million cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). Some 3.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are facing or expected to face acute malnutrition over the same period
The UN estimates that around 21.2 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo are in need of humanitarian aid in 2025.
Further information
Full text: MONUSCO Condemns Ceasefire Violation and M23's Continued Territorial Expansion in North Kivu, MONUSCO, press release, published January 7, 2025
https://monusco.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/pr_monusco_condemns_ceasefire_violation_and_m23s_continued_territorial_expansion_in_north_kivu_january_2025.pdf
Full text: DRC: Nearly 160 wounded treated by MSF in North and South Kivu following recent armed clashes, MSF, press release, published January 7, 2025
https://www.msf.org/drc-nearly-160-wounded-kivu-provinces-following-recent-armed-clashes