Situation context
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a large Central African country bordered by nine neighboring states and centered around the Congo River basin. It is home to the world's second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon and possesses vast natural resources, including cobalt, copper, and coltan. The country is one of the most biodiverse nations in Africa.
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What is Democratic Republic of the Congo situation about?
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Overview
What this is about The Democratic Republic of the Congo situation at the Security Council is mainly about the long-running conflict and insecurity in eastern DRC, especially in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. In UN discussions, the issue is described as a security and humanitarian crisis in which multiple armed groups attack civilians, displace communities and weaken State authority. The armed groups most frequently identified include M23/AFC, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), CODECO and Zaïre, among others. --- Why the Security Council discusses it The Council keeps the DRC on its agenda for two main reasons: The violence is severe and destabilizing, with atrocities, mass displacement and risks of wider regional spillover in the Great Lakes region. The Council is directly involved through: MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC; sanctions-related work under resolution 1533;...
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How did the Democratic Republic of the Congo situation evolve over time?
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Timeline
How the DRC situation evolved over time The Security Council record shows a clear shift over the period from late 2020 to early 2026: the Democratic Republic of the Congo moved from being seen as a country that was broadly stable overall but chronically violent in the east, to a much more dangerous regional crisis centered on the resurgence of M23, worsening DRC-Rwanda tensions, a deepening humanitarian emergency, and a difficult debate over how far MONUSCO could withdraw without leaving a security vacuum. --- 1) Late 2020: chronic eastern insecurity, but not yet a full regional escalation In Meeting 8778 (7 December 2020), Council discussions described the DRC as generally stable overall, while emphasizing that the eastern provinces — especially North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri — remained deeply insecure. Armed-group violence, intercommunal conflict, displacement, food insecurity and...
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