Authorities and civil society in eastern DR Congo are calling for an urgent humanitarian response after Radio Okapi reported that seven villages in Masisi territory were emptied of their residents within three weeks amid fighting involving AFC/M23, FARDC and Wazalendo fighters.

The displacement has mainly affected the Ufamandu and Nyamaboko groupings, with many families fleeing into the bush or toward neighboring Walikale.

According to the report, the abandoned villages are Bitoyi, Bukumbi, Mutindi, Kirambo, Bunyabaiti, Kashindi and Bulinda. The main concern now is no longer only the clashes themselves, but the immediate needs of the displaced, who are being hosted in schools, churches and other temporary shelters under worsening conditions.

The pressure on Walikale has grown as new movements continue to be recorded from conflict-hit zones. A recent ReliefWeb displacement update shows that displacement remains a persistent pattern across eastern DR Congo, with North Kivu still among the affected provinces.

In Masisi and along nearby axes toward Walikale, repeated violence has kept communities on the move and strained already limited local support systems.

Civil society groups say the next step must be immediate humanitarian intervention, especially for food, medical care and emergency shelter. That appeal comes as fighting around the Masisi-Walikale corridor continues to be monitored by conflict analysts, with Critical Threats reporting fresh clashes in parts of Masisi in April.

Local actors warn that children, older people and other vulnerable residents are facing the highest risks as overcrowding, hunger and disease spread in displacement sites.

The insecurity has also deepened the human toll beyond displacement. Civil society representatives cited the March 29 killing of the head nurse of Kabundi health center and his deputy in Nyamaboko 2, while saying persistent insecurity has so far prevented families from returning to bury the victims.

Until access improves, the humanitarian response is likely to remain as urgent as the security crisis itself.