The United Nations’ latest appeal in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo underscores how the conflict is increasingly being measured not only in territory lost or gained, but in civilians cut off from food, healthcare and protection. On a mission in the region since March 16, UN humanitarian coordinator Bruno Lemarquis urged AFC/M23 leaders to guarantee safe, rapid and unhindered access for aid agencies as fighting continues to trap vulnerable communities in North and South Kivu.

The urgency of that message reflects a wider crisis already described by OCHA as one of the DRC’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, with conflict, displacement and repeated shocks leaving millions in need across the country. In eastern DRC, access has become even more fragile as clashes continue around strategic zones, complicating the delivery of assistance to displaced families and communities attempting to return home.

According to SOS Media Burundi, Lemarquis met AFC/M23 officials in Goma to focus specifically on worsening humanitarian conditions and the need to preserve humanitarian space. He also visited Sake and Nyiragongo, where communities have faced repeated displacement, damaged infrastructure and shrinking access to basic services. The UN position remains that aid operations must remain neutral and protected under international humanitarian law.

The significance of the appeal also lies in the failure of diplomacy to ease conditions on the ground. Although Washington-brokered peace arrangements between the DRC and Rwanda were signed in late 2025, fighting has continued to disrupt civilian life and humanitarian operations. A more recent U.S.-backed de-escalation push, shows that international mediation is still active, but it has yet to translate into sustained relief for people living in conflict-hit areas.

That gap between diplomatic commitments and realities on the ground is why humanitarian access has become such a critical issue in eastern DRC. For aid agencies, the central challenge is no longer only mobilizing support, but securing predictable access to populations that remain exposed to violence, displacement and acute shortages. Until that access is guaranteed, millions of civilians will remain at the center of a conflict they cannot escape.