More than 230,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of the year amid escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the United Nations.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR on Friday described the displacement as “the most alarming” humanitarian crisis in the world.
The resource-rich eastern provinces of North and South Kivu – which are home to more than 4.6 million displaced people according to the agency – have been mired in conflict for three decades, with the M23 rebel group becoming one of the most powerful armed groups in recent years.
Designated a “terrorist movement” by the DRC government, M23 has seized large areas of eastern DRC since 2021, and earlier this month, took control of the town of Masisi in North Kivu.
Earlier this month, Bertrand Bisimwa, the head of the political wing of M23, told media that the group is fighting a “defensive” war.
“Escalating clashes between non-state armed groups and the Congolese army in North and South Kivu provinces are intensifying one of the world’s most alarming yet under-reported humanitarian crises,” said Eujin Byun, spokesperson for UNHCR speaking to reporters in Geneva.
The conflict, Byun warned, is “marked by widespread human rights violations and massive forced displacement”.
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