DR Congo: Intensification of Violence in North Kivu and South Kivu Provinces - Situation Report #2 (11 February 2025)

This report, produced by OCHA DRC in collaboration with humanitarian partners, covers the period from 3 to 8 February 2025.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Goma experiences a fragile calm, with the gradual resumption of socio-economic activities.
• Large numbers of displaced persons are returning to Masisi, Rutshuru, and Nyiragongo territories.
• Goma’s health situation remains alarming, with ongoing inflows of wounded and an uptick in GBV cases. Intensified fighting in South Kivu triggers mass displacements toward Katana and Bukavu.

NORTH KIVU

OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN GOMA

The security situation in Goma remains relatively calm, with a gradual resumption of socio-economic activities. Traffic has resumed on the Goma-Rutshuru and Goma-Sake-Minova roads, facilitating the supply of food products to the city. Several humanitarian organizations have resumed operations in Goma. However, schools and universities remain closed in the city and surrounding areas.

Outside Goma, the security situation in North Kivu remains precarious. Acts of criminality and targeted violence by armed groups are reported daily. On 5 February, three humanitarian workers from the NGO HEKS/EPER were killed by armed men in the village of Kabirangiriro, North Kivu. Reports of vehicle thefts targeting state structures and NGOs continue.

Since 22 January, access to electricity in Goma has been severely disrupted due to clashes in South Kivu, which damaged the power line connecting Bukavu to Goma. This outage has critically impacted health facilities reliant on the National Electricity Company (SNEL), hindering the use of essential medical equipment. Additionally, water supply has been cut, forcing families to rely on water from Lake Kivu, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, including cholera.

WHO reports that at least 3,082 injured people were admitted to Goma’s health facilities between 26 January and 7 February. Both health facilities and morgues are overwhelmed. As of 5 February, the DRC Red Cross had buried over 2,000 bodies, with 900 still awaiting burial in overcrowded morgues.

The WHO has also raised concerns about a worrying increase in rape and other gender-based violence (GBV) perpetrated by armed men during clashes. Protection actors have recorded 45 cases of rape among displaced persons, including 21 survivors of gang rape who have been admitted to two hospitals in Goma.

The cholera situation in Goma and surrounding areas remains alarming. Between 3 and 9 February, a spike in cases was reported in the Buhimba health area, with over 70 cases reported near the Bulengo displacement site. At least 80 per cent of cholera cases in North Kivu are reported on the displacement sites, according to the Health Cluster. The dismantling of many sites has complicated the situation due to the dispersal of displaced people and the suspension of epidemiological surveillance activities following recent fighting.

Goma International Airport remains closed, severely affecting humanitarian operations. In a press release issued on 4 February, the Humanitarian Coordinator called for its urgent reopening, which is essential for the evacuation of critically wounded patients, the delivery of medical supplies, and the arrival of humanitarian reinforcements. Transport on the lake between North Kivu and South Kivu provinces is also suspended.

Humanitarian actors are assessing losses caused by the looting of their warehouses and exploring ways to restore stocks. Goma plays a central role, as a logistical hub for the entire eastern region, in the distribution of humanitarian aid, making these losses particularly concerning for the overall regional response.

Many displaced people have started to return spontaneously to their places of origin. As of 4 February, an estimated 42,600 returnees (7,100 households) were recorded in Masisi territory, specifically in the health areas of Sake, Kaduki, Kimoka, Kihindo, and Shasha. These returns account for at least 40 per cent of the previously displaced households.

In return areas, many health facilities remain non-functional due to looting and lack of medical supplies and furniture. Electricity remains unavailable. Numerous houses and latrines have been destroyed by fires or bombings, and the water distribution system has been severely damaged. Schools remain closed, with at least 214 schools in North Kivu having been closed for over a year due to their occupation by displaced persons or armed groups. This situation highlights the urgent need for emergency education in return areas.

Access to food is extremely limited for returning families, who have neither food reserves nor the means to purchase food. Nearly all crops and food stocks have been looted by armed groups, leaving returnees in dire conditions.

In Nyiragongo territory, at least 32,600 displaced persons have returned to their places of origin in the health areas of Kasisi, Buhumba, and Kingarame. These returns underscore the need to strengthen community resilience in priority areas, including access to water, shelters, and the restoration of damaged homes, protection, education, and agricultural recovery.

According to recent assessments of population movements in Goma, at least 60 per cent of displaced people remain in and around the city. Humanitarian actors plan to conduct surveys on return intentions to better understand the dynamics of population movement and ensure that returns are voluntary, safe, and dignified.