Peace Deal in Tatters: Violence in South Kivu Forces Aid Halt as 110,000 Flee
By Juba Global News Network – Africa Desk
Date: December 17, 2025
BUKAVU/FIZI — Less than two weeks after a “historic” peace agreement was signed in Luanda intended to silence the guns in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the region has instead erupted into some of the fiercest fighting seen this year. The promise of stability has dissolved into chaos, forcing the suspension of critical humanitarian operations and sending a massive wave of refugees spilling across borders.
For the people of South Kivu, the hope of December has turned into the nightmare of displacement.
The Collapse of the Ceasefire
The peace deal, signed earlier this month amid fanfare and cautious optimism, was designed to halt the advance of the M23 rebel group and integrate various local defense militias (Wazalendo) into a national framework. However, the ink was barely dry before skirmishes began.
Those skirmishes have now escalated into full-scale assaults. Heavy artillery fire and ground combat have been reported in the strategic territories of Fizi and Baraka, areas that had previously been relatively sheltered from the worst of the M23’s northern offensives.
“We were told peace had come,” said Jean-Pierre Mulumba, a schoolteacher fleeing Fizi, speaking to local reporters. “But the soldiers came back, the rebels came back, and now we are running again. The paper they signed means nothing to the bullet.”
Humanitarian Operations Paralyzed
The most immediate and devastating consequence of the renewed violence is the total suspension of aid operations in the affected zones. International NGOs and UN agencies, citing “unacceptable security risks” to their staff, have pulled out of Fizi and Baraka.
This withdrawal leaves hundreds of thousands of civilians without a safety net.
- Medical Crisis: Local hospitals, already running low on supplies, are now cut off from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supply lines.
- Food Insecurity: The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to halt distribution convoys that were scheduled to deliver emergency rations to 50,000 families this week.
“The decision to suspend operations is never taken lightly,” stated a UN humanitarian coordinator in Bukavu. “But when our convoys are targeted and our compounds are in the line of fire, we cannot operate. The tragedy is that the people who need us most are now completely inaccessible.”
A Regional Refugee Catastrophe
The scale of the displacement is staggering. Local monitors estimate that over 110,000 people have abandoned their homes in just the last eight days. Unlike previous waves of displacement that remained internal, this exodus is spilling over international borders.
Thousands of families are crossing Lake Tanganyika into Burundi and Tanzania, overwhelming border reception centers that were ill-prepared for such a sudden influx. - In Burundi: The transit centers are reportedly at triple capacity, with refugees sleeping in open fields without adequate shelter or sanitation.
- In Tanzania: Authorities have expressed alarm at the security implications, fearing that armed combatants may be blending in with the civilian population fleeing the violence.
The M23 Factor and the “Wazalendo” Uprising
Security analysts point to a complex fracturing of alliances as the driver of this new violence. While the M23 rebel group continues its offensive in North Kivu, their pressure has destabilized the delicate balance in South Kivu.
Reports suggest that the local “Wazalendo” militias—often allied with the government—have fractured, with some factions turning against the army over accusations of abandonment. This infighting has created a security vacuum that opportunistic armed groups are now exploiting, turning towns like Baraka into free-fire zones.
“The government in Kinshasa is trying to fight a conventional war against M23 while simultaneously losing control of its local proxies in the south,” explains Dr. Amina Diallo, a conflict analyst at the Great Lakes Institute. “The peace deal failed to address the core grievances of these local groups, and now we are seeing the violent result.”
Kinshasa’s Silence
As the east burns, the response from Kinshasa has been muted. The government insists that the “mopping up operations” are necessary to restore order, but critics argue the army (FARDC) has lost command and control in the sector.
For the residents of eastern Congo, the geopolitics matter little. The reality is hunger, flight, and fear.
“We are tired of being the grass that suffers when the elephants fight,” said a community leader in a camp near Uvira. “We need the world to see us. We need the guns to stop. We cannot eat peace agreements.”
As 2025 draws to a close, the Eastern DRC remains one of the world’s most acute and neglected emergencies, with the latest violence in South Kivu serving as a grim reminder that peace remains an elusive dream.
Would you like me to: - Draft a press release for the National Parties Alliance (NPA) condemning the violence and calling for African Union intervention?
- Create a social media infographic highlighting the refugee statistics (110,000 displaced)?
- Write a follow-up article focusing specifically on the impact on women and children in the refugee camps?
