Sexual violence has reached devastating levels in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), with nearly 40,000 women treated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in 2024 alone.
The M23/Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) took control of Goma, the provincial capital and home to over a million people, in January 2025 after years of fighting against the Congolese army and allied armed groups. Since then, sexual violence has not decreased.
Insecurity has worsened, hospitals are overwhelmed, and thousands of displaced women now face relentless threats. Victims are attacked in their homes, shelters, or on the streets, often by armed men, but also by members of their communities or host families.
MSF is one of the few organisations offering medical assistance as insecurity grows and donor funding is cut. Congolese women are also suffering the consequences of the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the administration of President Donald Trump.
An order of 100,000 post-rape kits, which include medication for preventing infection from HIV and other STDs, that were to be distributed to multiple organizations treating sexual violence victims and survivors in eastern DR Congo, was cancelled this year, resulting in catastrophic consequences.
AllAfrica News
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