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DRC (east)

High intensity · Insurgency / regionalised war · M23, FARDC, other armed groups · Reviewed 23 Aug 2026

Conflict map

Approximate theatre focus. Not a control-line map.

Current status

High-intensity conflict continues in eastern DRC, especially around the Kivus. M23 and other armed groups contest territory; civilian displacement remains severe. Regional diplomacy has not ended the fighting.

Key parties

  • FARDC — Congolese armed forces and allied militias
  • M23 and affiliated movements
  • Other armed groups; neighbouring-state involvement alleged and disputed

Selected timeline

1990s–2000s
Great Lakes wars leave lasting armed networks
2021–22
M23 resurges in North Kivu
2023–24
Major advances and Goma threat cycles
2025
Talks and fighting alternate
2026
Kivus remain a high-intensity theatre
IntensityDesk assessment: High — dense armed-group map in the east
DisplacementUN and OCHA report large IDP caseloads in North and South Kivu; numbers fluctuate with offensives
Desk noteAttribution of cross-border support is politically charged — label claims carefully
Developing

Kivu front activity under watch

Open sources report continued clashes and displacement near contested towns. Specific town-control claims need multi-source checks.

OSINT

Confirmed

Humanitarian emergency in the east

UN humanitarian reporting confirms sustained displacement and aid-access problems linked to armed conflict in the Kivus.

UN / OCHA