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Renewed fighting between Congolese government forces and rebel groups in eastern Congo is overwhelming medical facilities and raising concerns that the conflict could expand toward key mining regions, according to hospital officials, analysts, and international observers.
At the general hospital in Fizi, a remote town in South Kivu province, medical staff rushed a wounded Congolese soldier into surgery after he was brought in on the back of a motorcycle. He had been shot in both legs during clashes in the mountainous highlands north of the town, where violence has intensified in recent weeks.
The surge in fighting, largely taking place far from major cities, has drawn limited international attention but is pulling more armed actors into the conflict. Analysts warn the escalation could further complicate diplomatic efforts by the United States and its allies to stabilize eastern Congo and safeguard Western investments in the region’s vast mineral resources.
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According to Reuters, the violence is centered in remote highland areas that rarely attract sustained mediation or diplomatic pressure, despite their strategic importance.
The human cost of the renewed clashes is increasingly visible at Fizi’s hospital, which is supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). When a Reuters journalist visited in late January, the facility was treating 115 wounded patients—more than four times its official 25-bed capacity.
“Most of our patients have injuries to their upper or lower limbs,” said Richard Lwandja, a surgeon at the hospital. “They often arrive with wounds that are already infected because of limited facilities on the frontline,” he added, highlighting the delays in evacuating the injured from remote battle zones.
Earlier this week, the AFC/M23 rebel coalition cited the fighting in South Kivu as justification for a drone strike on Kisangani airport, located hundreds of kilometers from the front lines. The group said the attack was retaliation for alleged Congolese government air strikes on villages in South Kivu.
Congo’s military has not publicly commented on the drone attack or on the rebels’ claims, Reuters reported.
The latest clashes are concentrated around Minembwe in Fizi territory, where Congolese forces have launched operations against AFC/M23 and its local ally, Twirwaneho—a militia formed largely by Congolese Tutsi fighters known as the Banyamulenge.
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“The highlands around Uvira are highly strategic,” said Regan Miviri, an analyst at the Ebuteli research institute in Kinshasa. “Whoever controls them has access to major towns in the lowlands. And because the area is so remote, the fighting there draws less attention and less diplomatic pressure.”
AFC/M23 launched a swift offensive early last year and, in February 2025, captured Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. The group later advanced south in December, briefly seizing Uvira near the Burundi border before withdrawing under pressure from the United States.
Washington helped broker a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda in June, though its durability remains uncertain.
The United Nations and Western governments have repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing AFC/M23, including allegations of direct command and control. Rwanda has consistently denied the claims.
Analysts say the Congolese government is focused on securing Uvira and preventing the conflict from spreading toward Tanganyika and Katanga provinces—areas that host some of the country’s most important mining operations.
