Congolese Residents Flee Along Dangerous Routes to Escape Fighting

M23 rebels monitor the area next to residents in Bukavu, Congo, on Feb. 20, 2025. Luis Tato / AFP via Getty Images

When Aimable Gafurura heard that the M23 rebel group had arrived in Rumangabo, a town in the Rutshuru territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo) on Nov. 27, 2022, he quickly packed a few possessions and fled to escape to safety.

In fear of being caught on main roads, Gafurura traveled through Virunga National Park to Goma, a city of about 2 million people and the largest city in eastern Congo, before escaping to neighboring Burundi.