Civilians caught up in the fighting in the east of the DRC

Fighting spreads to the regional capital

Since the beginning of January, clashes between the Congolese army and armed groups have been escalating in North and South Kivu. The situation has deteriorated considerably in recent days, and fighting between the army and M23 fighters has now spread to the regional capital, Goma.

Locals are trying to stay safe by locking themselves in their homes, while gunfire and fighting rage in the streets. Water and electricity have been cut off in the city, home to one million inhabitants and as many internally displaced people¹.

A catastrophic humanitarian crisis

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 237,000 people² have fled the fighting in the region, swelling the ranks of the 4.6 million people already displaced in North and South Kivu. Many of them, exhausted by decades of fighting, are now living in camps around major towns such as Goma, desperately waiting to return home.

Living conditions in Goma and the surrounding camps were already disastrous before the violence escalated, with shortages of water, food and shelter, poor access to healthcare and widespread gender-based and sexual violence. But the clashes of the last few days have worsened the needs, as it is now almost impossible to deploy humanitarian aid in the affected areas.

The priority: restoring peace and humanitarian access to the populations

The needs of the people in the Goma region are immense. It is vital that all parties cease the violence and guarantee safe and sustainable access to aid for civilians.

“Protecting civilians must be our priority at this time. These people are exhausted by the violence; they are in a state of total destitution and once again find themselves having to flee fighting. It’s vital to restore access to humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” explains Olivier Terzolo, HI's director in the DRC.

HI is running a number of projects in the region, focused on rehabilitation care, mental health and protection against gender-based and sexual violence. These operations are mainly deployed in the camps for displaced people around Goma. However, the deteriorating security situation has forced the programme to temporarily suspend all its activities in these camps.

In Goma itself, since 29 January, HI’s physical therapists and psychologists have been providing mental health and rehabilitation support to the ICRC and MSF hospitals, where the wounded have been arriving in large numbers over the last week. HI’s teams have also prepared stocks of basic necessities (blankets, mosquito nets, soap, toothbrushes, etc.), which they will distribute to meet the urgent needs of displaced people and the town's inhabitants as soon as the situation allows.

Article RFI January 27

UNHCR briefing notes