DR Congo M23 Conflict and Eastern DRC Crisis
Recent Developments
01July 2026: The UN said fighting in eastern DRC, especially South Kivu, continued despite peace efforts, with drones and heavy artillery used in civilian-populated areas.
02February 2026: Reuters reported Angola announced a ceasefire to begin on February 18 within the Doha mediation framework, but both the Congolese government and M23 accused each other of violations.
03Late February 2026: Reuters reported renewed fighting around Minembwe in South Kivu involving Congolese forces, local militias, Burundian soldiers, and M23-linked fighters.
042025-2026: UN and human rights bodies reported mass displacement, attacks on IDP sites, killings, and sexual violence as the conflict expanded from North Kivu into South Kivu.
Interventions
- Doha-mediated peace process and ceasefire efforts involving regional mediators and the Congolese government.
- UN human rights fact-finding mission launched in February to investigate serious abuses in eastern DRC.
- Humanitarian assistance by UN agencies and NGOs responding to displacement, food insecurity, and medical needs in eastern DRC.
What Works
- Verified ceasefires backed by monitoring and enforcement can reduce short-term civilian harm when parties comply; current reports show noncompliance remains a major obstacle.
- Protected humanitarian access and support for IDP sites, health services, and displacement-response programming help reduce disease, hunger, and secondary mortality in overcrowded conflict settings.
- Targeted documentation of abuses by UN human rights mechanisms can support accountability and deter some violations when paired with diplomatic pressure.
How to Help
- Donate to reputable humanitarian organizations working in eastern DRC, especially those providing food, shelter, medical care, and protection services.
- Support organizations assisting displaced people and survivors of sexual violence in North Kivu and South Kivu.
- Advocate for diplomatic pressure, ceasefire monitoring, and sustained humanitarian funding for the DRC response.
Make an Impact
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(23)
Human Rights Watch monitors and documents escalating armed conflict, political violence, attacks on civilians, indiscriminate aerial bombardments, intercommunal violence, and humanitarian crises in South Sudan through detailed investigations and reporting. They highlight civilian casualties, displacement, sexual violence, and food insecurity, while advocating for accountability, cessation of hostilities, and international action to address violations by government forces, opposition groups like SPLA-IO and NAS, and urging compliance with peace agreements.
OCHA coordinates the humanitarian response in eastern DRC by leading the Humanitarian Response Plan, mobilizing and coordinating UN and NGO partners, conducting needs and population movement analysis, advocating for unimpeded humanitarian access, and managing funding appeals to close gaps in emergency assistance (food, health, shelter, protection). OCHA also publishes situation and displacement reports that guide operational priorities and donor engagement, and facilitates cluster coordination (health, protection, WASH, etc.) to align partner activities on the ground.
Amnesty publicly calls on Saudi authorities to abolish the male guardianship system, release women detained for peaceful activism, and lift travel bans on women human rights defenders and their relatives. Its approach is advocacy and international pressure through reports, petitions, and joint NGO statements demanding legal and policy change.
NRC addresses the drought crisis in Somalia by advocating for urgent humanitarian funding and delivering field-level assistance to displaced and vulnerable households. Its response typically includes emergency shelter, water, sanitation, cash assistance, and support for people forced from their homes by drought-driven displacement, while also pushing donors to fund underfinanced response plans.
