UNITED NATIONS - Humanitarian crisis is worsening as violence escalated in three eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

The provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri have seen a recent surge in hostilities, as part of M23 rebels in the Kivus stated aim to take Kinshasa. In Ituri, violence is usually attributed to fighting over land and resources and between ethnic groups. The eastern DRC is rich in minerals.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported an alarming escalation in violence and insecurity in recent days in the city of Uvira, about 100 km south of South Kivu's provincial capital, Bukavu. The clashes put local communities and humanitarian workers in extreme danger, with humanitarian partners reporting multiple incidents of looting and sexual violence.

In South Kivu, OCHA said humanitarian assessments over the last 10 days indicated that more than 10,000 displaced people returned from Idjwi island in Lake Kivu due to dire conditions. The displaced returned to villages in the areas of Minova and Kalehe. More than 100,000 people had fled to the island since late January.

"Our partners also report that people have been returning to parts of North Kivu, where a recent assessment found that 80,000 people have returned to villages in the territory of Masisi, about 80 km northwest of Goma," OCHA said. "Infrastructure in these villages was largely destroyed by recent fighting, and returnees urgently need humanitarian assistance."

The World Food Programme (WFP) said about 1 million people were displaced since the beginning of 2025 when the M23 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and the South Kivu capital of Bukavu.

The insecurity in the eastern part of the country has also triggered civil unrest, looting, and disruption of humanitarian supply chains, forcing the WFP to temporarily suspend its operations in areas near and around the frontlines.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it is deeply worried by the significant increase in reports of grave violations committed against children in parts of the eastern DRC. The number of incidents has tripled since the end of January.

UNICEF said the data collected reveals that cases of sexual violence have risen by more than two and a half times, abductions have increased sixfold, killing and maiming are up sevenfold, and attacks on schools and hospitals have multiplied by 12.