Situation Overview
Between mid-October 2024 and 20 January 2025, 480,000 people were newly displaced due to fighting in the territories of Rutshuru, Lubero, Masisi, and Walikale in North Kivu.
Additionally, intense clashes in Kalehe territory in South Kivu between 4 January and 20 January 2025 led to the displacement of 178,000 people.
Among these 658,000 newly displaced people in north and south Kivu, it is estimated that there are approximately 380,000 women and more than 100,000 children under the age of five.
According to OCHA, numerous protection incidents have been reported, including the rape of young girls by armed men, and casualties resulting from bombings. These recent developments add to an already dire humanitarian situation which has persisted since violence flared in March 2022. Between January and November 2024 alone, more than 3 million people were newly displaced in the DRC – of which 96 per cent were in the east of the country, according to OCHA.
Furthermore, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) data shows a 57 per cent increase in displaced people as a result of the M23 crisis between December 2023 and November 2024.