More than 100,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries due to clashes between security forces and the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Eujin Byun said on Friday that funding cuts have further deepened the effect on critical humanitarian aid efforts in the DRC.
"Critical funding gaps are severely hampering humanitarian efforts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and beyond, leaving thousands without life-saving aid and pushing an already dire humanitarian situation closer to catastrophe, " Byun said at the UN Geneva Office's weekly news conference.
"In less than three months, the number of Congolese fleeing to neighbouring countries has surged to over 100,000," she said.
Byun explained that all shelters previously hosting 400 displaced people in and around the city of Goma in North Kivu have been destroyed.
Humanitarian aid partners are struggling to rebuild shelters, leaving displaced individuals with very few survival options.
TRT Global - UN seeks $40.4 million to strengthen preparedness and deliver life-saving protection and assistance to 275,000 internally displaced people in DRC.
DRC clashes
Earlier on Friday, the Rwanda-backed M23 said it is committed to a ceasefire in the eastern DRC despite its capture of a key town and no-show at peace talks this week.
Since the beginning of 2025, M23 rebels have launched continuous attacks, seizing control of multiple areas, including Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, and Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
Due to conflicts in the eastern DRC, approximately 1 million people have been displaced, and 7,000 have been killed since the start of the year.
The M23 group emerged following the collapse of a peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009, by regional countries to ensure security in eastern DRC.
The group became known as "M23" after the agreement.
M23 is largely composed of Tutsis, the same ethnic group as Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
