Conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is complex, with a multitude of armed actors and the presence of forces from neighbouring and regional countries. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration has said the DRC faces “one of the most complex and multifaceted crises in the world.”

Jeremy Corbyn (Independent) is leading a debate on security in the DRC in Westminster Hall on 4 September 2024.

Conflict in eastern DRC

The eastern part of DRC has been insecure for many years, including during the civil wars in the 1990s

There are multiple armed groups operating in DRC’s eastern provinces of Itari, north Kivu and south Kivu.

The reemergence of the M23 rebel group in 2021 in eastern DRC, after it had been defeated in 2013, has caused particular concern. A report published in June 2024 by the UN group of experts (PDF) on DRC said Rwanda is supporting the M23 movement and warned “the rapidly escalating M23 crisis carried the risk of triggering a wider regional conflict”.

Other notable armed factions include the Wazalendo coalition of local armed groups and the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), which the UN group of experts (PDF) said are being used by DRC’s government against the M23 and Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF). The presence of troops from Burundi in operations against M23 and RDF has “exacerbated tensions between Rwanda and Burundi”, the UN expert group says.

Another group, the Allied Democratic Forces, committed the highest number of killings, mainly civilians, in north Kivu in 2023, according to the UN group of experts (PDF).

The ADF, M23 and FDLR are all sanctioned under UN Security Council resolution 1533 (2004).

Drivers of conflict

Political rivalries, land disputes, mineral interests, and foreign intervention are some of the factors driving the upsurge in violence in the east, according to ACLED, the armed conflict location and event data project.

The DRC is richly endowed with natural resources and is the world’s leading producer of two critical minerals, cobalt and tantalum, essential to the production of batteries and other electronic components. DRC was the world’s fourth-largest producer of diamonds in 2023.

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said one of the drivers of insecurity is “the unbridled race between multiple parties to take control and exploit the country’s wealth of natural resources”. He has also blamed the absence of state authority over large swathes of territory as enabling “brutal levels of violence and attacks”.

Mediation efforts

There are two diplomatic initiatives currently underway.

The Nairobi Process was brokered by the East African Community in November 2022 and focuses on armed groups.

Angola is mediating the Luanda process, which focuses on relations between the DRC and Rwanda. In July 2022, Angola, DRC, and Rwanda signed the Luanda roadmap for peace in eastern DRC. On 30 July 2024 the DRC and Rwanda signed a ceasefire agreement (PDF) mediated by Angola.

The UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, is in the process of withdrawing from DRC. Its mandate currently runs to December 2024. The UN Security Council will discuss the situation in DRC in September 2024.

Political developments

President Félix Tshisekedi has been in office since he won the 2018 general election. He was re-elected in December 2023.

The army said it thwarted an attempted coup in May 2024. Over 50 people face prosecution for the attacks, in which six people were killed. A British national is among those on trial.

UK Government response

In May 2024, the Conservative Government said it has “raised the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the governments of DRC and Rwanda to urge for an end to the violence, human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups including M23”.

Lord Collins, the Minister for Africa in the new Labour Government, visited DRC in August 2024. His visit primarily focused on efforts to prevent the spread of mpox, and trade and investment opportunities. He also visited Angla, where he discussed Angola’s role in mediating peace in the DRC.

Conflict data and humanitarian situation

DRC is the 11th most dangerous country in the world according to ACLED, the armed conflict location and event data project, which collects and maps data on violence globally. According to data for the first half of 2024, the DRC was:

• The 11th most dangerous and 13th deadliest country in the world.
• One of the most fragmented conflicts (meaning it has multiple actors).
• North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu, in eastern DRC, are the most affected provinces.
• An estimated 11% (over 7.8 million) of the population are exposed to conflict.
• The number of explosions/remote violence events (135) increased during the first half of 2024, surpassing the number of events (66) recorded for the whole of 2023. May was the worst month for battles, with 130 recorded incidents.

An infographic for DRC can be viewed on ACLED’s website. ACLED’s conflict index is updated every six months.

Humanitarian situation

• There are 7.3 million internally displaced people across DRC.
• Over 6.5 million are displaced in the three eastern provinces of Ituri, and North and South Kivu. 2.5 million people in North Kivu were displaced between February 2022 and January 2024 because of conflict.
• The DRC has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons in the world and second only to South Sudan in Africa.
• Over 23 million are estimated to be food insecure and 5.4 million people face acute food insecurity in the three eastern provinces.
• More than 38,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in North Kivu in 2022.