Democratic Republic of the Congo

Women face significant risks stemming from decades of intermittent fighting including the erosion of infrastructure and state capacity. Millions remain displaced in eastern DRC, while thousands of cases of  sexual violence have been reported, likely a vast undercount of true numbers due to stigma, mistrust, and lack of access to a reporting mechanism. Cities that have endured sieges by M23 fighters saw hospitals and clinics severely damaged, forcing them to reduce their operations or even halt service provision. Cuts to international humanitarian assistance—including major reductions in US funding—have significantly weakened healthcare and protection services, compound conflict-related disruptions. The outbreak of Ebola in mid-2026 further strains an already under-resourced health system, with women and girls accounting for more than half of confirmed cases, reflecting their heightened risk of exposure and death due to the gendered nature of caregiving responsibilities. Amid ongoing conflict and significant barriers to accountability, women and women-led initiatives continue to provide essential healthcare, offer frontline support for survivors, and foster peace at local and national levels. However, these efforts face immense funding and operational hurdles, while women leaders remain at risk of physical and digital harassment and violence. 

At the same time, accountability efforts are increasingly extending beyond individual perpetrators to questions of state responsibility. In June 2026, the DRC filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, alleging that Rwanda bears responsibility for decades of violence in eastern Congo—including widespread sexual violence, forced displacement, and violations of international conventions protecting women and girls. The inclusion of alleged violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) underscores the gendered dimensions of the conflict and the potential role of international accountability mechanisms. 

The DRC’s vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, and other critical minerals are playing an increasingly central role in internationally brokered peace and security negotiations amid the global green energy transition. However, deals have been hindered by transparency concerns and persistent insecurity in mining areas, especially those controlled by armed groups. Women have been largely excluded from formal negotiations despite bearing the brunt of protracted conflict, prompting UN officials to call for women’s equal and meaningful participation as agents of peace and stability.

As Ebola spreads across conflict-affected regions of the DRC and neighboring countries, women and girls are at heightened risk of exposure and death due to the gendered nature of caregiving responsibilities. As in prior outbreaks, women and girls account for the majority of confirmed cases. The fatality rate for pregnant women is estimated to be 80 percent, and fear of the virus is deterring women from seeking maternal health care.

Conflict in eastern DRC continues to fuel one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with insecurity and armed violence restricting access to healthcare, humanitarian assistance, and Ebola outbreak response efforts. Women and girls in communities affected by conflict face overlapping threats from displacement, food insecurity, and disease, amid funding cuts and disruptions in aid delivery. 

Fighting in eastern DRC continues amid international peace negotiation efforts, including a March 18, 2026 joint statement between the DRC and Rwanda reaffirming commitments under the Washington Accords, and an April 18, 2026 agreement between the DRC and AFC/M23 to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access. Implementation of agreements has stalled despite US pressure, with continued clashes, proliferation of armed groups, and expanding conflict frontlines exacerbating risks for civilians—particularly women and children—who face acute insecurity, repression, and widespread displacement. Women have been seemingly absent from negotiations despite bearing the brunt of protracted conflict, including sexual and gender-based violence, prompting UN officials to call for women’s equal and meaningful participation as agents of peace and stability.

May 2026 reporting documented widespread abuses by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern DRC that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including killings, abductions, torture, forced labor, and child recruitment. Women and girls have faced particularly severe violations, including forced marriage and sexual slavery, while many survivors face stigma and limited access to livelihood or medical support upon return. Recent attacks in Haut-Uele province mark the farthest north the ADF has operated in more than 15 years, raising concerns over the group’s growing influence, particularly in gold mining areas. Civil society and human rights groups emphasize the need for inclusive, survivor-centered transitional justice mechanisms to ensure accountability for gender-based crimes and other atrocities committed against civilians.

As conflict continues across much of eastern DRC, the country’s vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, and other critical minerals are playing an increasingly central role in internationally brokered peace and security negotiations amid the global green energy transition. However, recent deals in the DRC have been hindered by transparency concerns and persistent insecurity in mining areas, especially those controlled by armed groups. Minerals-for-security arrangements often fail to address underlying drivers of violence, and may further entrench militarization, while exacerbating the exploitation of vulnerable populations, including women and children working in artisanal mines under hazardous conditions.

In conflict-affected eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, women health entrepreneurs are creating pathways to expand access to basic healthcare in communities where insecurity, displacement, and the collapse of formal services have left many families without reliable care. By delivering information, medicine, and maternal health supplies directly to households, these women are helping close critical gaps in care for pregnant women, mothers, and children, while also strengthening women’s livelihoods in areas where conflict has sharply constrained economic opportunities.