Violence intensified in Eastern DRC between the Congolese Army and the M23 rebel movement. The town of Bunagana (in North Kivu Province), a hub of cross-border trade was reportedly seized by the M23 rebels on 13 June. The situation remains unstable with reports of ongoing fighting.

An estimated 25,000 people have been forced out of their homes since 12 June. Around 5,000 displaced persons and returnees fled to neighbouring Uganda, including a number of soldiers of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC). Strikes killed two Congolese children, close to Bunagana, where lootings and destruction of infrastructure and multiple houses are reported.

So far, insecurity is hampering aid actors to assess humanitarian consequences on the ground.

An escalation of violence could lead to further displacement, in a region already severely affected by population movements. Almost six million Congolese are internally displaced (IDPs), the largest number of IDPs in Africa, while over 60,000 new refugees arrived since the beginning of the year in Uganda, already hosting the highest refugee population in Africa.