The United Nations has expressed deep concern over a surge in violence in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) militia has advanced into several towns since 2 December. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the escalation risks undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable resolution of the crisis and could trigger a broader regional conflagration. Dozens of civilians have been killed, many more injured, and mass displacement has occurred in towns including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota, and Uvira. Guterres called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and urged all parties to honor peace commitments made under the recent Washington accords and the Doha Framework Agreement.
The UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) reported that more than 500,000 people have been displaced in just over a week, a sharp increase from earlier estimates. While some families have returned to areas where fighting has temporarily subsided, most remain in overcrowded sites at high risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera and mpox. In Uvira, which was reportedly overrun by AFC/M23 fighters, streets were largely deserted, the border crossing with Burundi closed, and residents stayed indoors amid fear and uncertainty. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of wounded, with Uvira’s main referral hospital receiving patients transferred from the Ruzizi Hospital, which had ceased operations due to insecurity. An explosion in Uvira’s Kimanga neighbourhood killed two civilians and injured three others.
The violence has also forced people to flee across provincial and national borders. More than 27,000 people have sought refuge in Tanganyika Province, while an estimated 50,000 have crossed into Burundi, where makeshift sites are reported to be in precarious conditions. Many refugees, primarily women and children, face urgent needs for shelter, food, water, sanitation, and protection services. Additional arrivals in Rwanda are being supported by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, with registration, health and nutrition services, hot meals, and child protection assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre.
This escalation follows a year of intensifying conflict in eastern DRC, marked by clashes between Congolese armed forces, local militias, and M23-aligned fighters, including the fall of Goma in January and repeated waves of displacement across North and South Kivu. UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia warned that the latest surge seriously undermines prospects for a durable settlement and risks inflaming regional tensions. He urged all armed actors to step back from confrontation and facilitate rapid, unhindered humanitarian access to the affected populations.
