VerorbisWhat changed this week
Conflict DR Congo

War in eastern DR Congo

The Kabila-led FRN, which now includes the M23, has taken several towns in South Kivu's Kalehe territory since Nov 6-7, and the army says it is counter-attacking. The Doha talks are strained by a dispute over a proposed constitutional referendum.

Confidence: medium. Kabila's FRN launch, the US sanctions on Rwanda's defence ministry and the towns taken in Kalehe are reported by several outlets. Rwanda's military role is asserted by the US and UN experts and denied by Kigali, and displacement counts for the new offensive are local officials' estimates. · Updated 11 Nov 2026, 2pm ET

Open the full analysis and map

Why it matters: More than 6.1 million people in DR Congo are displaced by conflict and violence, and the $2.13 billion humanitarian plan for the country is about $1 billion short, according to UN humanitarian coordinator Damien Mama. source

What's happening

The M23, a rebel group that re-emerged in 2021, seized Goma and Bukavu, the largest cities in eastern DR Congo, in early 2025. Kinshasa, the US and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing it; Rwanda denies this and says it faces a threat from Hutu-founded militias such as the FDLR. Two peace tracks run side by side: a Doha framework between Kinshasa and the rebels, signed in November 2025, and the Washington Accords between Congo and Rwanda, signed in December 2025. Neither has ended the fighting; Human Rights Watch says the rebels held Uvira for about a month from December 2025. On Oct 12, 2026, former president Joseph Kabila launched the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), which replaced the AFC/M23 political wing. On Oct 28 the US sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry, saying it sent thousands of troops into the Kivus. The UN humanitarian coordinator says more than 6.1 million people in Congo are displaced, and the IPC counts 10.4 million facing acute hunger in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.

What changed recently

Key figures

more than 160,000People who fled the FRN offensive in Kalehe territory since Nov 6-7 (local estimate)Thomas Bakenga, administrator of Kalehe territory · 2026-11-10 · source
more than 6.1 millionPeople displaced by conflict and violence across DR CongoDamien Mama, UN humanitarian coordinator in DR Congo · 2026-10-09 · source
about 28.8 millionPeople facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 or worse) across DR Congo, through December 2026IPC, the UN-backed food security monitor · 2026-10-30 · source

Sources