In the mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a grinding war between government forces, Rwandan-backed rebels and a web of militias has turned daily life into a struggle for survival. Behind the front lines, communities are cut off, economies shattered and a generation is growing up amid fear and displacement.

From Kisangani, human rights defender Dismas Kitenge Senga watches the crisis deepen. As president of Groupe Lotus, he documents abuses and advocates for civilians trapped between the Congolese army, the M23 rebellion and foreign forces he says operate with near-total impunity.

Since the resurgence of M23, swathes of North Kivu and neighbouring provinces have slipped from state control. Kitenge describes a country effectively severed in two. With key roads and towns under rebel domination, many residents must cross through Rwanda to reach other parts of their own country. Civil servants in occupied zones go unpaid, schools and clinics barely function, and trade moves only under tight, often arbitrary restrictions.

Diplomatic efforts have failed to halt the violence. A US-backed accord, known as the Washington Agreement, was billed as a turning point between Kinshasa and Kigali, promising de-escalation and cooperation over security and mining. On the ground, Kitenge says, the guns never fell silent. Fighting has instead spread into areas once considered relatively safe, pushing more families from their homes.

The agreement has also fuelled suspicion. By opening access to Congo’s vast deposits of cobalt, coltan, gold and other strategic minerals, it has raised fears that foreign companies will profit while Congolese communities remain mired in poverty. For Kitenge, any deal that does not tangibly improve living conditions is a betrayal.

He argues that ordinary Congolese want what citizens elsewhere take for granted: transparent contracts, fair taxation and visible returns from the resources beneath their soil. That demand is sharpened by longstanding accusations that Rwanda has benefited from smuggled Congolese minerals while backing armed groups across the border.

When Rwandan troops launched an offensive on the border town of Uvira shortly after the accord, swift US sanctions forced a partial pullback. Kitenge sees that episode as proof that targeted pressure works, and that powerful states could do far more to curb external interference.

He calls for tougher sanctions on all foreign forces operating illegally in Congo, stronger democratic institutions across the Great Lakes region and credible courts to prosecute war crimes. Without justice, he warns, the cycle of plunder and rebellion will continue.

“Congolese victims feel abandoned by the world,” Kitenge says. “All we ask for is justice, peace and equal respect for the people of the DRC.”