The M23 offensive on Goma, North Kivu
Goma and Nyiragongo territory, North Kivu, DR Congo. Reported onset 26 January 2025.
TL;DR
The M23 advance on Goma emptied displacement sites ringing the city within days, sending people into the city itself, across the border into Rwanda, and back towards areas they had fled earlier, which makes net displacement figures for North Kivu unusually volatile.
What happened
- M23 forces advanced on Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, after months of fighting across Masisi and Nyiragongo territories.
- Large displacement sites on the western approaches to the city, which had absorbed people over successive years of conflict, emptied within a very short window.
- People moved in several directions at once, into Goma itself, across the border, and back towards home areas, so arrivals and returns were recorded simultaneously.
Why it matters for the data
- Camp closures here were driven by combat rather than by durable solutions, so a fall in site population is not evidence of a resolved crisis.
- Simultaneous inflows and outflows make aggregate provincial totals a poor guide, and site level tracking is more informative.
- The event moved a long running internal displacement crisis into a regional one, with implications for Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.
What to watch next
- IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix site closure and site arrival reporting for North Kivu.
- UNHCR border monitoring for new arrivals in neighbouring states.
- OCHA reporting on which humanitarian corridors into Goma are functioning.
Where the figures come from
This page does not publish population figures for the event. Numbers for an active event change faster than any single page can responsibly restate them, and access restrictions mean estimates carry wide uncertainty. The organisations below publish the current figures and the methodology behind them.
Country context
For the wider picture, see the DR Congo displacement dashboard, which tracks conflict events, population movement and humanitarian needs on a rolling basis.