Intense clashes between government forces and the M23 rebels in DR Congo’s North Kivu province have hindered efforts to deliver aid as tens of thousands of residents have been displaced.
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are conducting renewed operations in locations destabilised by the rebels.
The army announced on Monday that it recaptured several key towns that had been controlled by the rebels.
Humanitarian agencies said the clashes have disrupted the delivery of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to affected areas, leaving many without help.
Millions displaced
“Since January 1, 2025, more than 100,000 people have been displaced in Masisi territory following the continued clashes between the M23 and the Congolese army,” the UN humanitarian coordinator for Congo said on Friday.
More than 2.8 million people are already displaced in North Kivu, more than one-third of the population of the province.
Several armed groups are operating in eastern DR Congo but prominent among them are the M23 rebels, alleged to be backed by Rwanda, according to a recent UN report.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame dismissed the UN report last week and said his country has nothing to do with the rebel group and it does not make sense to blame Rwanda for the conflict in DR Congo.
M23 headache
“These leaders of M23 and the majority of their fighters came from Uganda, where they had been refugees,” he said, adding that the M23 rebels are not Rwandans but only speak the Rwandan language, Kinyarwanda.
Kagame urged Congolese authorities to address the root causes of the conflict and negotiate with the rebel group to find a solution.
The Ugandan rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to ISIS (Daesh) is also wreaking havoc in eastern DR Congo.
According to a recent UN report, the group has caused the deaths of more than 650 civilians in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri since June.
Tensions
The ADF was founded by a group of people intending to overthrow the Ugandan government but the military pushed them out of the country into Congo.
Since the late 1990s, ADF rebels who fled Uganda have been attacking villages, killing civilians and looting property.
Last December, a peace process between DR Congo and Rwanda was to be concluded under Angolan mediation, but failed, further aggravating tensions and persistent instability within the region.
The US State Department on Wednesday condemned the “unlawful presence” of Rwandan troops in DR Congo following the UN report that asserted Rwanda’s support for the M23.
'Systematic cooperation'
“Rwanda and M23 must immediately cease GPS jamming and spoofing activities, which continue to ground MONUSCO air operations and UN humanitarian flights in North Kivu.
These actions endanger UN and humanitarian personnel while blocking needed relief for civilians suffering from the related violence,” it said.
The US condemned DR Congo’s “systematic cooperation” with Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – an armed group against Rwanda that is based in DR Congo.
“We strongly urge Congolese authorities to ensure this cooperation ceases immediately, and we welcome the DRC government’s pledge to work with MONUSCO to execute the FDLR neutralisation plan in full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law,” the US said, adding that “there is no road to peace without dialogue between the government of the DRC and armed groups, including the M23,” it said.
Internally displaced
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in October that seven million people were internally displaced in DR Congo due to the conflict and disasters.
About six million people have been killed in conflicts in DR Congo since 1996, according to reports.
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