Bambo, North Kivu, is currently facing a severe humanitarian emergency as ongoing armed conflict has led to mass displacement, overwhelmed health services, malnutrition, and critical shortages of basic necessities (food and non-food items). The security situation is dire, with violent clashes between multiple armed groups—primarily the M23, FDLR, and CMC—continuing to threaten civilians and severely hinder humanitarian aid efforts.

In June, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) called for urgent action to protect civilians and address their basic needs. Since then, the situation has deteriorated further: the town has been completely taken over by the M23 armed group, which continues to engage in fighting with the FDLR and CMC in the surrounding areas. The ongoing violence has forced MSF staff to seek shelter on multiple occasions, and the number of displaced people arriving in Bambo continues to rise each day. Many are fleeing direct threats to their safety, as well as the widespread pillaging of homes, farms, crops, and rural communities outside the town, which has contributed to increasing levels of hunger and malnutrition. Currently, over 51,000 displaced people—mostly women, children, and the elderly—are living in Bambo, now account for more than 80% of the town’s population.

Most displaced people are enduring extremely difficult conditions, sheltering in schools, churches, or with host families whose resources are becoming increasingly strained. The number of collective living sites has grown rapidly in recent weeks, from six in May to twenty-four today. Many people lack access to clean water, sanitation, and food, and the ongoing insecurity caused by the presence of armed groups makes it impossible for most displaced families to return home. The severity of the crisis is reflected in MSF’s medical data: Bambo General Hospital, supported by MSF, continues to receive large numbers of malnutrition cases, with the intensive nutrition unit operating beyond 100% capacity for several weeks. At CEBCE, another MSF-supported clinic, displaced people now account for two-thirds of all patients. Dozens of sexual violence survivors report to health facilities in the town every week, with the displaced population particularly vulnerable and exposed to armed men while searching for food in the surrounding fields and forests.

MSF remains one of the only international medical organizations operating in the area, providing care to nearly 3,700 people in and around Bambo each week. However, the needs of the population far exceed what MSF can deliver. There are growing concerns about new outbreaks of measles and cholera, fueled by overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, and worsening malnutrition.