What's happening in DR Congo? 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing a complex and prolonged crisis, with over 15 million children suffering the impacts of armed conflict, hunger, and disease outbreaks. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating due to a recent surge of violence.

​

In early 2025, fighting between Congolese security forces and militant groups led by M23 escalated rapidly, culminating in M23’s capture of Goma, the regional hub of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; the Congo) on the Rwandan border. Rwanda, the primary backer of the M23 armed group, supported its offensive in eastern DRC with three to four thousand ground troops. 

​

As Goma fell, thousands of locals—many of whom were already internally displaced—fled the region. On February 4, M23 declared a unilateral ceasefire. Between 900 people, by UN estimates, and 2,000 people, by Congolese government estimates, were killed in the offensive on Goma. 

​

M23 is the latest in a series of Rwanda-backed militant groups that have been vying for territory and valuable natural resources in the eastern Congo since the late 1990s.

The escalation in Goma exacerbated nationwide political violence—including in the capital, Kinshasa—which surged following DRC’s December 2023 national elections. 

​

With one million Congolese seeking refuge abroad and twenty-one million people in the country in need of urgent medical, food, and other aid, the DRC represents one of the largest and deadliest humanitarian crises in the world.