7,000 killed in eastern DRC conflict since january, Prime Minister says

Geneva, February 24, 2025 – At a high-level meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, the Democratic Republic of Congo's prime minister stated that approximately 7,000 people have been killed in fighting in the eastern part of the country since January.

The declaration underscores a dramatic escalation in a conflict that has already spanned over a decade.

Officials also reported that around 450,000 people have been left without shelter after 90 displacement camps were destroyed, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. The ongoing advance by the M23 rebel group - now capturing vast swathes of territory and valuable mineral deposits - represents the gravest escalation in recent years and has raised fears of a broader war.

In her remarks, the prime minister urged the international community to act decisively. “It is impossible to describe the screams and cries of millions of victims of this conflict,” she said, calling for the imposition of “dissuasive sanctions” to help curb the ongoing violence, mass displacements, and summary executions.

The conflict has drawn sharp international criticism, with allegations that neighboring Rwanda has provided support to the M23 rebels - allegations that Rwanda has repeatedly rejected. Meanwhile, the DRC has suffered successive losses in North and South Kivu provinces since the beginning of the year, fueling further criticism of the government’s military strategy.

In his opening remarks at the 58th UN Human Rights Council, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that human rights around the world are being “suffocated,” highlighting the dire situation in the DRC as an example of global human rights abuses.

As the violence continues to claim lives and displace communities, the international community faces mounting pressure to intervene and address what many describe as a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.

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