Humanitarians uphold commitment to support civilians in eastern DR Congo

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Despite significant challenges, humanitarians “plan to stay and deliver” in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 Movement and national forces continues, a senior UN aid official said on Tuesday. 

Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, updated journalists on latest developments and obstacles to aid delivery, which include loss of critical supplies to looting and the impact of the decision by the United States to suspend billions in foreign aid.

The DRC was the largest recipient of US humanitarian assistance in the world in 2024, and 70 per cent of the $1.3 billion in funding received that year came from Washington.

A wider problem

Mr. Lemarquis said the situation in the east remains extremely volatile, with escalating armed clashes, mass displacement and increasing insecurity in both North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Since January, the M23 have been on an unprecedented advance across the volatile mineral-rich region. 

The rebels captured the main city, Goma, on 27 January, leaving some 2,900 people dead and many more injured. They are continuing a march towards Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.

“But there are more than the M23 in the DRC,” said Mr. Lemarquis, speaking from the capital, Kinshasa.  “For example, this morning we learned that at least 52 civilians were reportedly killed in Ituri by the armed group called CODECO.”

Clashes and consequences

He said the M23 and Rwandan forces are advancing towards the Kavumu Airport which is located close to Bukavu, home to roughly 1.3 million people.

“Clashes are ongoing, including today, and they’re likely to continue, and the M23 may use alternative routes to progress towards the town of Bukavu in the coming days, with again massive consequences on the civilian population,” he warned.

The M23, which is part of a political-military coalition called Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), is largely in control of Goma and they have appointed de facto authorities including a governor and mayor.  

The situation in the city “remains tense and far from normal” due to the ongoing occupation. Although security has improved in some areas, concerns persist. 

‘Mob justice’ and other threats

Mr. Lemarquis said the past few days have seen “recourse to mob justice in a context of proliferation of light weapons and ammunition, and the looting of court houses.” This presents a further challenge to “reinstating the rule of law in a zone with a tragic legacy of gross humanitarian gross human rights violations and impunity,” he added.

“Furthermore, several human rights defenders, in particular those working on issues of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as journalists, report persistent threats and incidents of forced disappearance and summary execution targeting them,” he continued.

© UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

A displaced family sit in front of their makeshift shelter in Goma, North Kivu province, DR Congo.

Lack of services

Meanwhile, many people in Goma are still facing difficult humanitarian conditions. Essential services, particularly water and electricity, are not yet fully operational.  As a result, many are using water directly from Lake Kivu, thus increasing the risk of contracting waterborne diseases. 

Mr. Lemarquis noted, however, that things have improved slightly as efforts are underway to restore electricity and to re-establish the water supply.  School activities have partially resumed after a two-week suspension due to the fighting, though many teachers remain uncertain about their status and pay under the new de facto authorities.

Public services also remain partially functional in Goma, with a limited number of civil servants having returned to work because of the uncertainty, but hospitals are still overwhelmed.

“Mortuaries are saturated, and medical teams have to cope with an unprecedented number of war wounded, with a shortage of medicine and medical supplies,” he said.

“Risks of epidemics are high in the city, in particular cholera and mpox. Food prices have risen, and more and more people need food assistance every day.”

Commitment to stay

Against this complex backdrop, humanitarian partners remain on the ground working to prevent and alleviate suffering, he said. They are also moving to strengthen response now that the situation has stabilized, and several colleagues who were evacuated or relocated will be brought back.

However, some key challenges remain. Mr. Lemarquis said many facilities belonging to the UN and international aid agencies were looted during the height of the fighting in Goma, and millions of dollars in supplies were lost.

Getting aid to Goma is another major obstacle as the airport there remains closed and non-operational.

“Without this airport we cannot evacuate the seriously injured, transport the necessary medical supplies or bring in humanitarian reinforcement,” he said. “All parties must act now to work together to re-open the airport and allow humanitarian flights to resume.”

A ‘new reality’

Humanitarians are also affected by the “new reality in Goma” as they navigate customs and border-related issues, while their final challenge concerns the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily suspend foreign aid.  

“This is a major source of concern with several UN agencies and international NGOs active on the ground having seen their operations at best severely impact, if not halted,” he said.

“Our humanitarian response is the most dependent in the world on US assistance. We were 70 per cent funded by US funding, so this is having major impact.”

US aid cuts

In response to a journalist’s question, Mr. Lemarquis explained that humanitarians required $2.5 billion for their operations in 2024 and garnered $1.3 billion – the highest amount ever received in the DRC for humanitarian response. Of the total, $910 million came from the US alone. 

“The ultra-dependence on US funding means a lot of programmes had to shut down on everything we are doing. So, it’s emergency health, it’s emergency shelter…it’s coordination capacity,” he said. 

“The only exception so far, but we hope there will be more exceptions, was emergency food assistance.”

Appeal for international support

Yet “despite these challenges, we aim to stay and deliver,” said Mr. Lemarquis. 

On behalf of the humanitarian community, he reiterated the call for “all the parties to end hostilities and to return to the political process.”

He also urged the international community “to intensify its support for the humanitarian response in this complicated area.”