The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the security situation in eastern South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sharply worsened since early December following an escalation of armed clashes in Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi, and Kalehe territories. The number of people affected by the fighting has risen significantly, with preliminary reports indicating that more than half a million people have been displaced.
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres expressed deep alarm over the escalation of violence in South Kivu province and its humanitarian consequences, according to a statement released by his spokesperson.
Guterres strongly condemned the offensive by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) in several South Kivu locations, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota, and Uvira, that has resulted in civilian casualties. He called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025).
“He underscores that this escalation risks seriously undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable resolution of the crisis and increases the risk of a broader regional conflagration,” said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman.
Through his spokesperson, the Secretary-General urged the parties to the conflict to abide by their commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on December 4, and to fully respect the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed on November 15.
The Washington Accords reinforced commitments between DRC and Rwanda to end the conflict, foster economic integration, implement the June 2025 Peace Agreement, and create stability in the Great Lakes region by focusing on security and economic growth.
The Doha Framework, established between the DRC government and M23 rebels, outlines protocols for a ceasefire, prisoner exchange, humanitarian access, disarming groups, and restoring state authority. The framework aims to resolve the root causes of the conflict through dialogue and monitoring mechanisms.
However, the situation on the ground contradicts these commitments, as the situation continues to deteriorate following the M23 offensive. Numerous reports from the UN, the US, and human rights organizations provide compelling evidence that Rwanda backs, controls, and supports the M23 rebel group.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), initial reports indicate that at least 70 civilians have been killed and 80 injured since December 2, and this number is expected to increase significantly. Other risks include family separation, attacks on civilian infrastructure, heightened risks of gender-based violence, and growing constraints on access to essential services and humanitarian assistance.
UNHCR reported that civilians are fleeing bombardment and heavy artillery and stressed that secondary displacement is likely as the conflict spreads to areas where internally displaced people (IDPs) had initially sought safety.
Local authorities, civil society, and aid agencies estimate that more than 500,000 people are currently displaced across the province. These new mass displacements are taking place in a province that already had over 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) before this escalation of violence, which has put basic social services under severe strain.
On Thursday, OCHA reported that while some families have started returning to areas where it is now relatively calm, the vast majority remain in overcrowded sites where they face heightened protection risks and increased threats of disease outbreaks, including cholera and mpox.
Though sporadic gunfire persists in several neighborhoods, the situation remains calm in the town of Uvira. On Wednesday, an explosion in the Kimanga neighborhood reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others.
Uvira’s main referral hospital continues to receive an influx of wounded people, including more than 60 patients transferred from Ruzizi Hospital, which reportedly ceased operations on Tuesday due to insecurity.
While the situation has been relatively calm since Tuesday in Walungu, Kalehe, Kabare, and Mwenga — allowing for limited resumption of activities and some returns — tensions persist in the territories of Fizi and Uvira. Clashes continue in the Mugeti village, and there is a high risk of violence spreading to the Hauts Plateaux of Fizi.
Meanwhile, people continue to flee to the province of Tanganyika. Between Monday and Thursday, at least 27,000 people arrived in Kisongo and Kabimba in Kalemie territory. Additional arrivals were reported in Kalemie town and along the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
OCHA stresses that it continues to engage with all sides to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian teams and enable the resumption of aid operations. Efforts are underway to preposition critical supplies, including shelter materials, water purification supplies, food, and health and protection supplies.
Additional funding is urgently needed to provide life-saving assistance and protection to the newly displaced.
Guterres noted that the United Nations is fully mobilized to work with its partners to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need. He reiterated his commitment to supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to restore peace in eastern DRC and the region.
Aid agencies are supporting Congolese refugees in Burundi and Rwanda
People fleeing violence in South Kivu continue to arrive in Burundi. On Wednesday, OCHA coordinated a rapid needs assessment in Ndava and Gatumba. Humanitarian organizations and authorities estimate that more than 50,000 people have sought safety in these areas. The Cishemere transit camp is hosting 5,000 people, and the Bweru camp is hosting 1,000 more, with additional arrivals expected.
The refugees, who are mainly women and children, are coming in exhausted and injured. Despite aid agencies’ efforts to scale up the response, conditions at these sites remain precarious, and there is an urgent need for shelter, food, water, hygiene supplies, sanitation facilities, and protection support. However, limited funding severely constrains humanitarian organizations' ability to scale up the response.
According to OCHA, some parts of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are facing a cholera outbreak. Therefore, it is urgent that the public health response be scaled up in Burundi’s Cibitoke and Gatumba areas, where refugees are being hosted.
The Burundian government is relocating some refugees to the Bweru site in the eastern part of the country. UNHCR is providing buses to transport refugees from border points to Bweru and has installed housing units for refugees and a water tank to meet their basic needs.
In Rwanda, meanwhile, the UNHCR is supporting the government's response and providing assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Center, including registration services, health and nutrition services, protection support, hot meals, and other essentials.
Since the beginning of 2025, over 180,000 people have fled the eastern DR Congo to neighboring countries. This is the largest surge in cross-border movements since the first quarter of 2025, when Burundi received an influx of approximately 60,000 people in the days following the M23 capture of the town of Bukavu, and when high levels of refugee arrivals were recorded in Uganda.
DRC is facing one of the world's largest and most complex humanitarian crises
Ongoing armed conflict remains the primary driver of humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For years, the human rights and humanitarian crises in the DRC have been spiraling, prompting the United Nations to repeatedly warn of the dire situation and urge the international community to pay more attention to the plight of Congolese civilians.
Hostilities have expanded across North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri this year, causing massive displacement, including returns and continuous back-and-forth movements, as well as heightened protection risks for civilians. Despite its vast natural resources, the country has some of the highest poverty and vulnerability levels globally.
The eastern provinces, particularly South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri, have been plagued 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. Urgent humanitarian needs include food, protection, shelter, and sanitation.
Complicating matters further, the country is grappling with several major health emergencies, including measles, mpox, and cholera. Since the beginning of this year, the DRC has experienced a concerning surge in epidemics, particularly measles and cholera.
Despite the severity of the situation, the world has largely turned a blind eye to the ongoing emergency. With more than 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance recorded this year , DRC is experiencing one of the world's largest and most complex humanitarian crises.
More than 26 million Congolese people face acute hunger
According to the latest food security analysis, 26.6 million Congolese are projected to experience crisis-level acute hunger or worse by early 2026. The situation is most dire in the conflict-ridden eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika. Ongoing conflict, violence, displacement, and limited humanitarian access are exacerbating food insecurity in these provinces.
By January 2026, more than 10 million people — roughly one-third of the population in these four provinces — are expected to experience crisis levels of hunger, with 3 million already facing emergency conditions. These figures represent 75 percent of all Congolese facing emergency hunger nationwide, marking a substantial increase of 700,000 people since March 2025.
Severe access restrictions and funding shortages continue to hinder the entire humanitarian response effort, forcing many aid agencies to scale back their operations and disrupting life-saving services for those in desperate need. As a result, the lives of millions of people in the country are endangered.
The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requested US$2.5 billion to assist 11 million people, but it is currently only 22 percent funded, having received just $562 million to date.
The estimated number of people in need for 2026 is put at 14.9 million, including 513,000 refugees. However, this much lower figure than in 2025 does not indicate a reduction in suffering or an improvement in the humanitarian situation, but rather reflects a narrower analysis and a focus on areas with the highest severity levels. Particularly vulnerable people are concentrated in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and parts of adjacent provinces.
Different analytical methods and a more limited focus reflect the increasingly dire financial outlook of the global humanitarian community, which continues to grapple with the steepest funding cuts in its history. Contributions from humanitarian donors worldwide fell sharply in 2025, and this year's projected contributions are expected to be the lowest since 2015.