A Weapon of War in the 30 Years of Conflict in the DRC

Lillie Brown

A woman and her children walk through a camp for displaced people in Goma, DRC, – Jospin Benekire | (via UN)

For more than three decades, the women and girls of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been victims of horrific sexual and gender-based violence amid one of the world's most harrowing humanitarian crises. As the conflict escalated between the Congolese military and Rwandan-backed Mouvement de Mars 23 (M23) fighters, sexual violence perpetrated by both sides surged. International efforts to reach a ceasefire have proved insufficient to achieve lasting peace, as fighting resumed on December 10, 2025. Thus, the continuation of the conflict raises serious concerns about what this means for women and children. Increasing humanitarian efforts and advancing peace talks would help ease fears of rape and assault and perhaps reduce

the prominence of sexual violence as well. 

After seizing the city of Uvira on the border of Burundi, the M23 rebels agreed on Tuesday, 18 December 2025, to withdraw from their most recent offensive. However, there was no indication of when. The initial seizure is a direct violation of the Washington Accords, signed on December 4 by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi. Qatar is leading an adjacent peace process regarding the M23 rebels. The DRC has endured more than three decades of violence, and the peace agreement violation adds to the historical list of initiatives that have failed to end the fighting. 

As both sides continue to fight, it is evident that much needs to be done. The humanitarian situation becomes more and more dire, with sexual violence tripling this year. UNICEF stated there has been a 31.5% increase in reported rapes in 2025 as opposed to 2024. Additionally, one-third of these victims are under the age of 18, and a child is raped every 30 minutes in the DRC. The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist dedicated to women's health in the DRC, said that rape is used as a weapon of war and a tool to destroy the social fabric of a community. The use of sexual violence as a weapon is not a new phenomenon in the DRC, and its decades-long conflict means it happens routinely. 

Many organizations have come to the aid of women in the DRC; however, they have encountered several issues when it comes to providing rape victims with the help they need. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), after seven years in the DRC, ended its medical care at the end of October, as it navigated the decrease in international humanitarian funding. The UN World Food Programme has also suspended its assistance due to a lack of access to funding. The decrease in aid and funding has left many hospitals and medical facilities in the DRC without post-rape kits, which include medications to prevent HIV and STIs. This comes at a time when the projected number of people in need of emergency aid is expected to rise to 27 million.

The humanitarian crisis cannot be solved when there is a volatile and increasingly accelerating conflict. The current peace agreement proved to have not been accepted on the ground, perhaps because it is not a single unified peace plan involving the three main actors. While the DRC and Rwanda have reached a peace agreement, the M23 has been working alongside Qatar for its own agreement. An uncoordinated effort is a challenge to lasting peace and risks the continuation of breaches on the ground. By ensuring all sides are in agreement, there are fewer loopholes to jump through and more ground for international condemnation. 

A significant barrier to peace is that the Rwandan government does not acknowledge backing the M23 rebels, even though the UN and much of the international community exhibited evidence disproving that claim. Although, there is sexual violence from all forces in the conflict, the M23 has committed significant crimes against humanity. While ending the conflict will not mean that sexual violence will cease to exist, it will potentially remove the use of rape as a

weapon of war. 

Nonetheless, simply ending the fighting will not be sufficient for rape victims in the DRC. The international community must increase humanitarian aid and provide support to those subjected to sexual violence because of this conflict. Without a solution to the ongoing conflict, nor a solution to the humanitarian and sexual assault crisis, the conditions for women, as well as the greater region, will be expected to deteriorate rapidly.