The escalation of conflict in eastern DRC has worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, particularly in the war-torn provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, under siege since May 2021. Despite multiple peace agreements—including the pact signed in Washington on June 27, 2025, endorsed by Rwandan and Congolese leaders on November 4, 2025, and the Doha framework agreement inked on November 15, 2025, between the DRC and the M23/AFC—violence persists. The conflict has since spread to Uvira, exposing the fragility of ceasefire mechanisms.
The armed struggle has claimed over 10,000 lives in less than a year, displaced millions internally, and triggered a massive refugee crisis. Within this chaos, state security forces and non-state armed groups—including the M23/AFC, reportedly backed by Rwanda—are repeatedly linked to severe human rights violations, including torture and inhuman treatment as defined under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.