DRC grapples with mass abductions in Goma and acute food insecurity amid Ebola outbreak

In the night of 6–7 July, armed forces linked to the M23 rebel group entered Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and forcibly removed around fifty youths, many of them minors, from the Katindo military camp area. The detainees were loaded onto military trucks and their destination remains unknown, prompting families and civil‑society groups to accuse the rebels of illegal child recruitment and to call for urgent international intervention.

A United Nations bulletin released in early July warned that more than 1.15 million people in Ebola‑affected regions of the DRC, particularly in Ituri province, are now facing acute food insecurity. Only a small fraction of those in need have received direct food assistance, and the humanitarian cluster is seeking $22 million to address the crisis, while the broader aid plan for the country remains severely under‑funded.