DRC: More than 3 million displaced people have returned home, UN says

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 3 million displaced people have returned home as of July 2025, according to new data from the United Nations agency for humanitarian affairs (OCHA).

In the North Kivu province, more than 2 million people have been able to go back to their villages, while they were more than 600,000 to do so in South Kivu.

The OCHA data also shows the number of internally displaced people in the country has dropped from 6.9 million in 2024 to 5.9 million this year. 

Behind this glimmer of hope, the humanitarian situation in the DRC remains dire, and returnees often face difficult conditions.  

In North Kivu, some have had no choice but to go home after displacement camps were dismantled in Goma and Nyiragongo earlier this year. 

The country is also still grappling with cholera, measles and mpox outbreaks. More than 27 million people are affected by food insecurity, with 4.5 million children suffering from acute malnutrition, according to new OCHA figures. 

The Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement in mid-July.  

But the M23’s recent attacks against civilians have threatened the integrity of the peace process. The Rwanda-backed rebels have killed at least 319 civilians between 9 and 21 July in four villages in Rutshuru territory, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.