from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – MORE than 200 000 people, mostly children, have been forced from their homes in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent days.
They are seeking refuge within other parts of DRC and across the border in Burundi and Rwanda.
Of those, more than 104 000 are children.
At least 74 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and 83 wounded since December 2, according to the United Nations.
Reports indicate that armed groups are using heavy weapons on multiple fronts, directly attacking civilians as well as civilian infrastructure, including schools and health centres.
Throughout the year, some 1 270 schools – or 15 percent of the schools in South Kivu – are no longer functional because of the recurrent waves of conflict, affecting over 390 000 students.
Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s Country Director in DRC, raised concern.
“The situation is desperate, and we need urgent global action now,” he said.
“We urge all parties involved in the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access.”
A peace deal brokered by the United States, signed between DRC and Rwanda, which allegedly funds armed groups in DRC, is fragile.
An earlier major influx in March 2025 saw around 63 000 refugees from eastern DRC enter Burundi, the largest such movement in decades.
– CAJ News