Escalating armed attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have killed at least 24 civilians and are now jeopardising the ongoing Ebola epidemic response in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, the United Nations warned on 6 June. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the surge in violence is severely restricting humanitarian access and forcing aid organisations to pull back from several areas.

Key Attacks This Week

In North Kivu, local authorities reported an armed assault in Beni territory on Tuesday night that killed at least 24 civilians and triggered a fresh wave of displacement. In neighbouring Masisi territory, heavy clashes on Wednesday drove more residents from their homes, deepening a crisis that had already displaced 270,000 people as of May.

In South Kivu, local authorities reported hostilities on Wednesday in the Fizi and Mwenga territories, reportedly involving the use of drones, which sparked further displacement. Over the past two years, insecurity in those areas has cut off more than 165,000 people from regular humanitarian assistance, according to reports.

Ebola Response Under Threat

OCHA expressed grave concern that the ongoing violence in the two eastern provinces could directly hinder the response to the Ebola epidemic, which has already been confirmed in both North Kivu and South Kivu. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday that Ebola cases have been reported in both provinces and that the combination of insecurity and disease makes humanitarian operations 'even more complicated.'

'The renewed violence has compelled humanitarian organisations to restrict movements in several areas, further limiting access to affected populations,' OCHA said in its statement.

Humanitarian Access and Aid Efforts

Despite the constraints, OCHA said life-saving assistance continues wherever access permits. Since April, humanitarian partners have provided cash assistance to more than 8,000 people in Beni territory alone. The UN is calling on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure unimpeded, safe, and sustained access for aid workers.

Broader Crisis Context

Eastern DRC has been gripped by cyclical armed conflict for decades, but the current escalation is compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. The displacement of 270,000 people in North Kivu as of May reflects a pattern of recurring violence that repeatedly resets humanitarian progress. The addition of an active Ebola outbreak to this environment presents a particularly dangerous combination — one that global health authorities have long flagged as among the hardest scenarios to manage. Notably, previous Ebola responses in the DRC have been severely hampered by insecurity, most critically during the 2018–2020 outbreak in the same region, which became the second-largest Ebola epidemic in recorded history. The current situation risks following a similar trajectory if access is not restored quickly.

With humanitarian organisations already operating under severe constraints, the window for containing the Ebola outbreak before it spreads further may narrow rapidly unless security conditions improve.