Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- Over two million people remain displaced in South Kivu, where conflict exposes children to grave protection risks. OCHA reports that clashes on 10 April in Kalehe, Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga and Kabare displaced 11,000 people and temporarily closed the Bukavu-Kalehe road. Since January 2025, over 121,000 people have fled to Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.
- As of 4 April, more than 1,930 schools remain closed in North and South Kivu, affecting 732,890 children. UNICEF and partners are working to restore access to learning.
- Attacks on civilians and infrastructure continue. On 4 April, 20 armed men entered an MSF-supported facility in Goma, killing one and injuring three. Between January and March, 15 incidents affected MSF-supported facilities.
- Since the L3 activation on 21 February, UNICEF’s Rapid Response Mechanism distributed household, WASH, and shelter kits to nearly 80,000 people, including 50,000 children. About 3,700 people received primary care; 228 children were treated for acute malnutrition.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
The ongoing conflict in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces continues to result in the displacement, injury, and death of civilians, while damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting access to basic services.
According to UNHCR, more than 121,000 people have fled the DRC to neighbouring countries since the beginning of the year. Uganda has received over 41,000 Congolese refugees, while the National Commission for Refugees has recorded approximately 24,000 voluntary spontaneous returns from Burundi to Uvira in South Kivu and surrounding areas since late March 2025.
In South Kivu, UN OCHA reports that renewed clashes in Kalehe, Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga and Kabare territories on 10 April 2025 displaced approximately 11,000 people and led to the temporary closure of the Bukavu-Kalehe road. Over two million people remain displaced across the province, while more than 500,000 have been returning.
In North Kivu, fighting between the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and the M23 armed group continues in Nyiragongo, Masisi, Walikale, Rutshuru, Lubero, and Beni territories. Clashes between other non-state armed groups are concentrated around Virunga National Park and along RN529, hampering humanitarian access. Between 7 and 11 April, heavy fighting in Masisi alone displaced an estimated 70,000 people, according to UN OCHA. In this context, children continue to be at heightened risk of sexual violence, family separation, forced recruitment and use by armed groups, and being killed or injured. On 11-12 April, at least 52 people were reportedly killed, and on 4 April, Kyeshero Hospital in Goma was attacked by 20 armed men, leaving one dead and three injured. Continued attacks on health facilities are straining the humanitarian response. Some partners are reducing interventions in Kanyaruchinya Health Centre in Nyiragongo territory, North Kivu and reorienting their interventions to other facilities as IDP movements reduce demand in the area.
In Ituri province, OCHA reports that in Mambasa suspected ADF fighters are levying a monthly $10 tax farmers prompting widespread abandonment of agricultural activities and raising concerns about rising food insecurity.
Between 8-10 April, around 60,000 displaced people crossed into Maniema province along the Lubutu-Kisangani axis.
In Tanganyika province, intercommunal clashes between local armed groups in Kalemie territory on 9 April resulted in casualties, the destruction of homes and shrinking humanitarian access to 70,000 displaced people and returnees. Tanganyika is also experiencing a rapidly escalating cholera outbreak. As of early April, nine out of 11 health zones were affected. In the Kalemie and Nyemba territories, more than 1,600 cases and 29 deaths have been reported since January 2025. The cholera outbreak risks are becoming even more severe due to limited health capacity and lack of access to safe drinking water, with water coverage falling below 20 per cent in affected areas.
Between 7-14 April 2025 (epidemiological week 15), cholera transmission persisted in eastern DRC provinces, with notable trends observed in North Kivu, South Kivu, and surrounding areas. In North Kivu, 218 new suspected cholera cases were reported, with no associated deaths during this reporting period, although four deaths have been recorded cumulatively since January. High-transmission zones included Goma, Karisimbi, Kirotshe, and Nyiragongo, where scaled-up response activities are underway.
In South Kivu, 195 new suspected cases were reported, also with no fatalities during this reporting period, while the province has seen a total of 10 deaths since the beginning of the year. Transmission remains concentrated in health zones surrounding Bukavu, particularly in Minova (101 cases), Ruzizi (37 cases), Idjwi (19 cases), and Nyangezi (eight cases), underscoring the need for targeted interventions in peri-urban and rural settings.
In contrast, Ituri was not among the provinces reporting cholera cases during this reporting period, yet its proximity to Tshopo and Maniema where case fatality rates exceed 7 per cent, highlights the importance of continued surveillance and preparedness to prevent potential spread.
Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak is worsening in Maniema, with health authorities reporting a fatality rate of 13 per cent well above the emergency threshold of two per cent. As conditions worsen, the threat to the local population is increasing.
Lack of medical supplies, limited access to health facilities, and a lack of protective equipment are hindering response and containment efforts. UNICEF requires $56.9 million for the initial 3-month response. However, due to abrupt funding cuts — including from USAID — only $18.4 million has been mobilized, leaving a 68 per cent funding gap with severe implications for the overall response capacity