For several years, the war in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has plunged millions of people into extreme distress. In Goma and its surroundings, civilians are caught between deadly clashes, forced displacement, and a humanitarian crisis that continues to worsen. Entire families, deprived of their homes and livelihoods, wander in search of refuge, often without knowing what tomorrow will bring.

The refugee camps of Kanyaruchinya, Lushagala, and Bujari, located east of the city of Goma on the Goma-Rutshuru road, all located in and around Goma, which for more than three years have sheltered hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the war, are now empty. Yet, this mass departure does not signify the end of suffering for these displaced people, quite the contrary.

Théo Musekura, president of the sites for displaced people of Nyiragongo territory in North Kivu, speaks out about this troubling situation.

“These displaced people are gradually returning to their homes in the territories of Rutshuru, Nyiragongo and Masisi, areas occupied by the M23 rebellion, perhaps signaling a relative calm or changes in the dynamics of the war,” he told Peace News Network (PNN).

But this return is more like a constraint than a choice. In these areas under M23 control, living conditions are far from secure. Many find their homes destroyed, their gardens devastated, and their villages emptied of all economic activity.

“We ask humanitarian organizations to keep supporting us even for six months with assistance in food and non-food items. This will allow us to be better prepared to resume farming activities. Many of us have lost our homes as a result of this war, this support will allow those returning to reorganize themselves,” implores Musekura.

But the response from humanitarian organizations remains insufficient given the scale of the disaster. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warn of the risk of worsening health and food crises, as these displaced people attempt to settle back into villages where everything has to be rebuilt.

Behind this humanitarian tragedy, accentuated by the war between belligerents in the densely populated city of Goma, lie thousands of individual stories, each marked by pain, fear and loss.

Héritier, who is using a pseudonym, displaced from Rutshuru in 2023, explains how the war shattered his life and destroyed his prospects for the future.

“I came to Goma in 2023. Here, I work in the transport sector, mainly as an aviation broker. War is a terrible thing because many people have lost almost everything. I am now unemployed and without occupation, being a father of a child, and I even host my little brother at my place. I no longer know how to provide for the daily needs of my household, all activities being suspended at the airport. I am just a tenant, my younger brother is a student  ̶ who is going to pay his academic fees? So, war is not a good thing. Now, we leave everything in the hands of the Almighty. I cannot learn to fly now when I have never done so in my life. I recommend that the authorities engage in dialogue [Alliance Fleuve Congo and DRC], because we only need peace so that everyone goes freely and peacefully about their activities,” he explained with deep regret.

The despair is even greater among women, who must not only ensure their own survival, but also that of their children. Bunawage Buterezi, a displaced woman, recounts her endless wandering in the hope of finding shelter.

“When we came from home, we were settled in a camp on the outskirts of Goma, then we were taken to the Lushagala camp, east of the tourist town. Then, when we arrived there, we found that all the shelters had been destroyed, now we have nowhere to stay. This is a very painful situation. Every day, I walk around with my belongings and those of my family on my back without knowing where to settle down. Honestly, we have no peace, and it pains me. All we can ask is that the leaders think about how to end the war so that we can return home and resume our previous activities,” she says, with a baby on her chest and her belongings on her head.

Her story illustrates the double burden faced by these displaced people: After fleeing war, they must now face not only indifference and abandonment but also life after war in a city like Goma, that was once considered the last hope from where humanitarian organizations organized assistance operations to displaced people in the camps around the city.

Between dying of hunger with a family of nine children and desperately returning to her village to start an unknown life, Mkesha made her choice.

“I decided today to return home because I cannot live here without assistance. We were informed that during the war in the city of Goma, the food supplies from the World Food Program were looted. I am going home with my tarpaulin, I will start life from scratch there, because my house was destroyed by the rebels, but I have no choice but to return instead of starving here. Yes, there is still no security in my village, but I am going back anyway,” Mkesha said.

The despair of the most vulnerable

For the elderly, war is even more cruel. Sanvura Mawazo, an elderly man displaced for a year, expresses his tiredness from a life marked by suffering. After twelve months of hardship, this grandfather also decided to return home.

“I decided to return home because I have suffered greatly here. I have had to spend days and entire nights without putting anything in my mouth, which was very difficult for someone of my age,” he testifies as he prepares to take his place on board the first truck heading towards RUMANGABO, in the territory of RUTSHURU, his village of origin.

In this context, the question of supporting elderly displaced people becomes a humanitarian emergency. Many of them are unable to provide for their needs and find themselves abandoned in terrible living conditions.

Justin Bikalo, displaced from Kibirizi, in Bwito, illustrates this uncertainty that has long hovered over their future in the camp.

“I am a war-displaced person and I lived in the Kanyaruchinya camp. All the shelters that were here were destroyed following the war that reached the city of Goma. When the clashes between the FARDC and the M23 elements arrived here, no one could resist. This is why people fled, some even lost their lives, and we were therefore scattered. Others returned to destroy our camp and steal tarpaulins.

Since I arrived here in Goma, because of the war, I have not been able to engage in any activity. I was just fleeing from the hostilities in my place of origin, I was a war displaced person; it was difficult for me to undertake anything. In Goma, I took refuge in host families, and now, my only desire is to return home, but I lack everything, even the means to go back home, to Kibirizi,” he confides.

Between indifference and unfulfilled promises of peace

As Congolese authorities and the international community express their commitment to restoring peace, the war-displaced individuals of North Kivu continue to suffer in the shadows. Humanitarian aid is insufficient, destroyed infrastructure remains unreconstructed, and violence persists in many areas where these populations attempt to return.

The intensification of fighting right into the city of Goma has worsened the situation which was already critical. 85% of the displaced people, who once lived around Goma, have poured into the city which was already asphyxiated by the elements of the M23, supported by Rwanda, according to reports by UN experts.

As soon as the city of Goma was taken, voices were raised internationally to condemn this progression of the M23.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC, Bruno Lemarquis, in a press release, insisted and called on the entire international community to mobilize for a humanitarian corridor to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced and populations of Goma.

While some member countries of the international community hesitate to condemn this rebellion that has knocked out the humanitarian situation in the region, others, on the other hand, condemn without hesitation.

“It is possible that we can reach a resolution. There is no military solution to this conflict. Peace talks are therefore the only way out. And we also believe that the territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected, that is why we demand the withdrawal of the M23 and Rwandan military troops from the territories they have occupied,” said Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the UN.

Three years later, the military solution has shown its limits and its inadequacy to restore peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In December 2024, Kinshasa was on the verge of reaching an agreement with Rwanda before, on the eve of these efforts, it fell apart, following disagreements between Kigali and Kinshasa.

Kinshasa has refused to have dialogues directly with M23 rebels, and continues to set a red line. President Félix Tshisekedi says he is open to dialogue with the M23 rebels, as with other armed groups, following the Nairobi process, which remains focused on demobilizing armed groups.

Kinshasa remains firm in its position and does not intend to give a blank check to the M23 rebels, whom it accuses of multiple serious violations.

The testimonies of victims remind us of a brutal reality: this war is not just a military confrontation; it is a human tragedy that shatters entire families and leaves behind a distressed people. As long as concrete solutions are not put in place, the torment of the displaced individuals of North Kivu will continue in  a deafening silence.

Keywords: DRC, Goma, conflict, victims, congo, M23