In the hills of the Hauts Plateaux near Lake Tanganyika in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, decades of fighting between the army, rebel forces, and ethnic militias have uprooted countless families. More than 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes in South Kivu since 2004, according to the article.
Stories of Displacement and Loss
Misa Byaombe, a farmer and mother of nine from Rugezi, has been displaced for a year. She recalled fleeing an attack that began at 4 a.m.: 'We sheltered at home for over an hour but the gunfire was getting very close, so we fled. Three of the older children helped me carry the young ones; we saw dead bodies as we fled.'
Jeanette Iranga lost three children after being displaced from Ndondo. 'We knew the war was coming; my husband had joined a defence militia but was killed at the front. Soon the fighting arrived and we fled. My daughter died when she was shot and two of my sons fell sick and passed away. I was held hostage by some troops but managed to escape. I have 11 surviving children … They were all so stressed by the fighting. All we want is to return home, but I am too frightened,' she said.
Struggles for Survival
Nabindu Namwija, a widow, left Tuwetuwe after militia attacks. 'They burnt my house and all of our possessions … I was alone with my four children because my husband had been killed. It was impossible to stay any longer. We arrived with nothing. All I can do is work on other people's fields in exchange for some food. I want to return to the village; the children are falling sick and it has only been possible to survive with others from my community helping us,' she said.
Mwajuma Endonjema, displaced since February 2025, cares for nine children and a grandchild. 'Soldiers arrived in the night, they did not shoot but came to burn the houses, looking for other militias. It was at midnight and we heard screaming and crying. We hid in the forest for hours, waiting until dawn. When there was light, we fled. The children were crying and my daughter Rosia broke her leg in the hills. My husband and some of the men from the village made a sling and carried her down together to safety,' she recounted.
Impact on Health and Women
Zabibu Lumetala, a midwife at Mukera health centre, said many of her patients are recently displaced women and victims of sexual violence. 'My role is to direct births, and we also provide psycho-social care to the women. Many women who have been raped are marginalised within the community and can even try to keep it secret. Babies born of rape are also a sensitive topic. We are working hard to stop families being divided when this occurs, but have a long way to go. With the insecurity now, some women are even too scared to leave the health centre. There has been terrible fighting in the area, and once I was the only member of staff who stayed,' she said.
Zawardi Moambi, a farmer and mother of four, fled to Mukera in June 2025 after the Gumino militia reached her village. 'We ran for two days,' she said. 'On the road, people from other villages let us stay with them and share their food. When we first fled to safety, I had to work in other farmers' fields in exchange for something to eat. The children are used to life in the cold mountains, so when we came here, all four of them caught malaria quickly.'
Military Activity and Mass Graves
Congolese military officers inspected a suspected mass grave after M23 rebels withdrew from Sange on the Ruzizi plain. The town of Uvira on Lake Tanganyika was occupied by M23 rebels from December to January. The strategic town of Mikenge has been captured numerous times by both the DRC army and Banyamulenge militias supported by M23 rebels. A camp for internally displaced civilians on a ridge near Mikenge houses many of those forced to flee.
