Un pays déchiré par l’offensive du M23

A country torn apart by the M23 offensive

DRC

African leaders, international donors and heads of UN agencies met in Paris to try to stop the spiral of violence and hunger which is devastating the Great Lakes. The objective of this conference, co-organized by France and Togo: to raise several hundred million euros to respond to a worsening humanitarian crisis, even as international aid is running out of steam, particularly that from the United States. In a message broadcast on this occasion, António Guterres placed the crisis in the long term: “For three decades, the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have endured an endless cycle of violence, displacement and suffering. Today, the humanitarian situation is one of the most serious in the world.” The UN Secretary-General’s warning comes as eastern DRC has suffered a major offensive since the start of the year from the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group defending the interests of the Congolese Tutsi minority. The rebels, supported, according to the UN, by the Rwandan army, have conquered large portions of territory in North Kivu and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, the main cities of the two provinces. The clashes have caused new massive displacements, cut off commercial routes and thrown hundreds of thousands of people onto the roads. “This year alone, armed violence has left hundreds dead and thousands injured. More than 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 5.7 million are displaced and more than 27 million suffer from food insecurity,” recalled Mr. Guterres. In combat zones, essential services are collapsing: schools, hospitals, water and sanitation networks. Cholera returns, sexual violence increases, and families flee a war that seems like it will never end. Families fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shelter in a school in Cibitoke province, Burundi, February 2025. To contain the crisis, two parallel processes were launched. The first, the Washington agreement, signed on June 27 under American mediation, commits the DRC and Rwanda to a bilateral ceasefire and a gradual withdrawal of foreign forces. But it suffers from a major flaw: the M23 is not involved, and Kigali, which denies any link with the rebellion, is not required to disarm its fighters. The second, the Doha process, aims to fill this void. Under Qatari mediation, it brings together Kinshasa and the M23. A declaration of principles was signed on July 19, followed by a prisoner exchange agreement in September and the creation, on October 14, of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Hopes remain fragile. “Persistent violence in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri is compromising the stability of the entire region,” however, deplored the Secretary-General. Guterres called on donors to finance a humanitarian plan “which is sorely lacking in resources” and on the belligerents to honor their commitments made in Washington and Doha. He recalled that the DRC must see “its sovereignty and territorial integrity respected”, and that the root causes of the conflict must be “addressed at the roots”.

Childhood, the easy target
Unicef ​​draws up an equally alarming assessment. “Today, more than 12 million children across the DRC, Uganda and Burundi depend on humanitarian aid simply to survive,” warned Gilles Fagninou, regional director of the agency for West and Central Africa. In the DRC alone, nearly 1,200 schools were destroyed or transformed into shelters and 1.6 million children left classes, exposed to exploitation and forced recruitment. Diseases reappear, malnutrition explodes. In 2024, the country recorded more than 4,000 serious violations against children – the second highest figure in the world. Among them, sexual violence abounds: children represent more than 40% of the nearly 10,000 cases reported in the first half of 2025. “It is not only a humanitarian emergency: it is a child rights crisis. Protecting children must remain our collective moral compass. The future of the region depends on it,” insisted Mr. Fagninou.

“Millions of civilians are counting on us”
The Paris summit was to be closed by French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside his Congolese counterparts, Félix Tshisekedi, and Togolese, Faure Gnassingbé. In his message, António Guterres did not hide the extent of his expectations: “This conference must mark a turning point.
Millions of civilians rely on the support of the international community.
Together, let us build the peaceful and prosperous future that the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the entire region so hope and deserve.” The international community gathered on Thursday in the French capital to try to mobilize funds for victims of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a video message, the UN chief called on the international community to further support the country, where more than 21 million people need help to survive.

Samir Sabek