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UN officials,have sounded the alarm about the severe impact of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly on women and children, highlighting the increasing risks of conflict-related sexual violence.
The officials including Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, and Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, along with UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Mr. Andrew Saberton and Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, are calling for urgent action to address the escalating crisis in the DRC.
Recent offensives with heightened attacks by non-state armed groups in South and North Kivu provinces since the beginning of 2025, have contributed to dramatically increasing conflict-related sexual violence. Sites where internally displaced people (IDP) had been living have been destroyed, and civilians have been forcibly displaced to areas without adequate protection or support, upping their risks of violence. The looting of supplies and the restriction of humanitarian access have worsened the condition of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, while insecurity is expanding to neighboring countries, with Congolese refugees reported in urgent need of humanitarian aid, including health and psychological support.
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The DRC has a record number of more than 7.8 million IDP, while an additional 1.1 million Congolese people, who fled years of ongoing violence, are hosted by neighboring countries.
The UN Officials warn that sexual violence is widespread and systematically used by parties to the conflict, including against women and children, as a tactic of war to terrorize and punish the civilian populations. Incidents of sexual violence remain highly underreported due to fear of stigma, risks of retaliation, and limited humanitarian services and support. This horrific trend is also part of a broader pattern of grave violations against children, including recruitment and use, abduction, and other forms of violence. “In the context of this unprecedented security and humanitarian crisis, the conditions of women and children continue to deteriorate. Their lives are hanging on the countless days awaiting stronger actions by the international community,” the UN Officials said.
More than half of the refugees who fled the DRC to neighboring countries are children; many of them are likely to have endured severe violence, including sexual violence. Their plight is exacerbated by challenging reception conditions in asylum countries, largely due to the impact of reduced humanitarian funding. The UN Officials call on all parties to implement Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025) and take urgent steps to cease and prevent any form of conflict-related sexual violence, while ensuring protection and timely access to services for survivors, maintain open-door policies for forcibly displaced people from the DRC, and abide by their obligations under international law.
Survivors face limited access to essential services, including medical care, sexual and reproductive health services, case management, mental health services, and vital protection services. Ongoing hostilities further hinder service delivery with direct attacks on hospitals and shortages of medical supplies such as life-saving Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kits. “We urge all parties to guarantee safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need, particularly children and survivors of sexual violence. We further call for urgent action to strengthen accountability, implement gender-sensitive and child-centered responses, reestablish vital aid and support to the humanitarian plan to help survivors of conflict-related sexual violence regain their health and dignity,” the UN Officials concluded.
