Many residents of the outskirts of Goma have been forced to leave their homes due to fighting. DR Congo emergency: regional capital under threat Peace and security
Intensifying fighting on the outskirts of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond involving the non-state armed group M23 has led to mass displacement, while there are concerns that Goma itself could come under attack, UN agencies warned on Friday.
“We are deeply concerned about the heightened risk of an attack by the armed group M23 on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo… Any attack on Goma would have catastrophic consequences for hundreds of thousands of civilians,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), told a briefing in Geneva.
She noted that the conflict in the DRC is characterized by high levels of sexual violence. “Armed groups kidnap, hold captive and force women and girls into sexual slavery. Many of them are killed after being raped,” she said.
UN peacekeepers left the neighboring province of South Kivu in June 2024. They continued to defend key positions in North Kivu, including Goma and Sake, where clashes between M23, other armed groups and the Congolese armed forces continue.
Hundreds of thousands displaced
According to the UN refugee agency, some 400,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in North and South Kivu since the beginning of 2025 alone. At the same time, UNHCR spokesman Matt Saltmarsh reported attacks on camps for displaced people.
On 21 January, five makeshift shelters were destroyed in Nzuolo, near Goma, and on Wednesday the Bushagara camp, also near Goma, was badly damaged, causing panic among refugees and further displacement, Saltmarsh said.
UNHCR staff remain on the ground in Goma, assisting displaced civilians wherever possible, he stressed, adding that access to many areas is currently difficult.
‘Stop the offensive’
The UN secretary-general on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in eastern DRC. In a statement released by his spokesman, Antonio Guterres noted the capture of the town of Sake in North Kivu by Rwandan-backed rebels, “which increases the threat” to the regional capital of Goma and heightens the risk of a “regional war.” Rwanda has denied any direct involvement in M23’s actions.
“The Secretary-General calls on M23 to immediately halt its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and respect the ceasefire agreement of 31 July 2024,” the statement said.
Ravina Shamdasani, for her part, echoed the call by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk “for all States with influence over the parties to convince them of the need for an immediate end to hostilities.”