Close to 240,000 Africans displaced in Eastern Congo conflict

Congolese displaced fleeing the area of Minova board with their belongings boat leaving the port of Nzulo on January 21, 2025 to seek shelter in Goma. Photo by JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP via Getty Images.

About 273,000 people have been displaced in the ongoing rebel conflict in the mineral-rich Eastern DR Congo, according to the latest report from the East African country.

Congolese civilians, fleeing bombs and bullets, have overwhelmed displacement camps like Nzulo on the outskirts of Goma.

M23, the rebel group, have captured major towns in Eastern Congo and have maintained a strong grip on the Goma airport.

According to the United Nations, the situation could spark a war if the regional leadership fails to take a drastic action to de-escalating the conflict.

Minova and Goma remain in the control of the M23 group and locals are fleeing the towns for the fear of their lives.

In 2022, the Tutsi-led M23 renewed their insurgency in the region citing discrimination against Congolese Tutsis and failures in governance as the reasons for their rebellion.

The towns captured by the M23 rebel group include Minova in South Kivu, Bweremana, Numbi, and Lumbishi in North Kivu, and now Goma, the heart of Eastern Congo.