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Since January 2025, renewed fighting in eastern DRC has led to a dramatic worsening in humanitarian situation and mass displacement, particularly in North and South Kivu provinces.
Intense hostitilies, which began in Goma in January, have engulfed the region leading to hundreds of thousands of population movements and a significant deterioration in the protection enironment.
Inside the DRC, population movements have been extremely fluid, with internal displacement and return movements occurring simultaneously, with some 4 million people estimated to be displaced in North and South Kivu. Efforts to track IDP movements and returns are underway, however the volatile security situation and difficulty in humanitarian access means that gaining a holistic picture of displacement remains difficult. At the same time, many IDP settlements have been deliberately dismantled. The Camp Coordination and Camp Managment Cluster estimated that close to 900,000 people, mostly in North Kivu, have been forcibly displaced due to the deliberate emptying and dismantling of IDP sites.
Widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been reported, including summary executions, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest. A general rise in criminality has made life even more challenging, with civilians in areas on the margins of armed clashes facing widespread looting, extortion by armed actors, reprisals against those perceived to be affiliated with armed groups, and a dramatic decrease in access to medical and psychosocial assistance. The increased displacement and resource scarcity exacerbates the vulnerability of women and girls, exposing them to further sexual violence and abuse.
This situation has led some 123,600 people to seek refuge in neighbouring countries between January and end of March, the vast majority to Burundi and Uganda. Some 70,000 arrived in Burundi, mainly via unofficial crossing points in Cibitoke province, many making the dangerous crossing of the Rusizi river.
The Government of Burundi announced it would grant all new arrivals from DRC since 1 January prima facie refugee status. Almost 36,000 people have also crossed into Uganda as of the end of March, over half entering via formal crossing points in Kisoro District, with the majority originating from Nyiragongo, Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu. From January to March 2025, arrivals from DRC to Uganda are 480 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024.
The humanitarian situation upon arrival remains extremely challenging. In Uganda, transit centres are operating at some 300 to 450 per cent beyond their capacity, putting strain on basic services. This has been compounded by funding cuts, leading to the suspension of essential health services and resulting in difficult decisions to deprioritize some protection activities in favor of WASH, shelter and health interventions, increasing the risk of infectious diseases such as Ebola. In Burundi, overcrowded living conditions and a lack of basic infrastructure in the recently dismantled Rugombo stadium site have contributed to a cholera outbreak, with 11 cases reported as of 26 March.