The world's largest displacement crisis. The world's most hungry population. One of the world's most neglected wars.
Last updated: December 26, 2025
7.3 million internally displaced (highest ever recorded)
25.5 million facing severe food insecurity (highest in the world)
21 million requiring humanitarian aid
7,000+ killed since January 2025
~3,000 killed in the Goma offensive alone
2,500+ bodies buried unidentified
December 2025
South Kivu Crisis Deepens
An estimated 500,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in South Kivu province at the beginning of December. The WFP warns displaced populations are "close to utter desperation." The renewed M23 offensives in the east continue despite the June Washington peace deal.
Source: UN News
January 23-30, 2025
The Fall of Goma
M23 rebels, backed by an estimated 4,000 Rwandan soldiers according to UN experts, captured Goma—the largest city in eastern DRC with a population of over one million. Between 900 (UN estimate) and 2,000 (Congolese government estimate) civilians were killed in the offensive. Twenty peacekeepers died, including fourteen South Africans. Nearly 2,000 civilians sheltered at UN peacekeeping bases. The offensive lasted seven days.
Sources: Human Rights Watch, Al Jazeera
January 21, 2025
Minova Falls
M23 and Rwandan forces captured Minova, a town 40 kilometers from Goma. 400,000 people displaced in the following three weeks. General Peter Cirimwami, North Kivu's military governor, was killed in the fighting on January 24.
Source: Human Rights Watch
February 2025
South Kivu Falls
M23 seized Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province. 100,000+ people fled Lubero Territory north of Goma. Approximately half were children. 40,000 fled to neighboring Burundi. Six aid workers killed in the region since January.
Source: UN News
February 4, 2025
M23 Ceasefire Declaration
M23 declared a unilateral ceasefire. It did not hold.
April 2025
52 Civilians Massacred in Goma
The DRC government condemned the killing of 52 civilians in a single night in Goma, allegedly by M23. The massacre occurred overnight Friday to Saturday.
Source: The Star
June 2025
Washington Peace Deal
The leaders of DRC and Rwanda signed a peace deal in Washington, brokered by Trump. The deal has not stopped the violence.
September 2025
UN Fact-Finding Report
The UN published a report finding that all parties to the conflict in North and South Kivu have committed serious violations that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report identified "daily violations" across M23-controlled territory following "discernible, recurring patterns, indicating a high degree of organization, planning, and resource mobilization." Documented crimes include: murder, severe deprivation of liberty, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced disappearance, and forcible population transfer.
Source: UN OHCHR
October 30, 2025
Paris Conference
International conference in Paris. Nations and NGOs pledged $1.7 billion for the Great Lakes region. DRC committed to reopening Goma Airport for humanitarian operations.
Source: IOM
November 13-19, 2025
Byambwe Massacre
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a separate armed group, attacked the Byambwe Health Centre, a Catholic Church-run facility 60km west of Lubero. 17 civilians killed—including patients in labor and those receiving medical care. Four patient wards were set ablaze. In coordinated attacks across Mabiango, Tunarudi, Sambalysa, Thucha, and Butsili: 89 civilians killed, including at least 20 women. The UN described the information as "truly horrific."
Source: UN News
Journalists who gained access to M23-controlled areas documented:
Child rights violations doubled in early 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Sources: The New Humanitarian, IOM
This is not simply a rebel uprising. UN experts have documented approximately 4,000 Rwandan soldiers fighting alongside M23. Human Rights Watch obtained photographs showing armed men in Rwandan army uniforms at Sake. The UN Fact-Finding Mission found "credible allegations concerning the covert presence of RDF [Rwanda Defence Forces] personnel within M23" and concluded that Rwanda is responsible for violations directly committed by its armed forces on Congolese territory.
The violence is connected to eastern DRC's mineral wealth. More than 100 armed groups compete for control of resources including coltan, gold, and cassiterite—minerals that end up in phones, laptops, and electric vehicles worldwide.
Before the January escalation, the UN needed $2.54 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 11 million people. The response plan remains severely underfunded.
The DRC crisis is consistently rated among the world's most neglected—alongside Sudan. It has the world's highest number of people facing severe food insecurity. It has the world's highest internal displacement. It has documented war crimes and crimes against humanity. And yet it receives a fraction of the attention given to conflicts in Europe or the Middle East.