The worsening security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted urgent deliberations at the highest level, with President Félix Tshisekedi holding a closed-door meeting on Thursday to assess the situation.

The meeting on Thursday in Kinshasa was meant assess developments in the eastern regions of the country, where new violence erupted. “The Congolese head of state,” said government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, was holding the meeting of “the High Defence Council to discuss options for controlling the situation and ensuring the safety of the population,” announced.

According to the government, the deterioration in security since December 4 has resulted in around 100 deaths and the displacement of 200,000 people who have fled their villages.

The provincial authorities in South Kivu reported a higher toll following clashes in 10 villages prior to the capture of the strategic town of Uvira. “Following the visit on 7 December 2025 by the Provincial Governor, Jean-Jacques Purusi, to health centres and hospitals in Uvira, a particularly heavy toll was officially recorded, with more than 413 civilians killed by bullets, grenades, and bombs in Kamanyola, Katogota, Luvungi, Bwegera, Luberizi, Mutarule, Lemera,
Sange and Kiliba in Uvira, including many women, children, and young people.

“The Provincial Government of South Kivu states that these acts of violence is not an isolated incident, but part of a clear intention to carry out a massacre,” said Luganywa Didier, spokesperson for the provincial government.

In Kinshasa, officials believe the deterioration in Uvira “marks a serious turning point: it is a deliberate choice by President Kagame to turn his back on the Washington Agreements less than a week after they were signed, thereby intentionally undermining the efforts made by President Donald J. Trump to bring about peace.”

The Congolese government, therefore, calls on the facilitators of the Washington and Doha processes, as well as the African mediation, to make full use of their political and diplomatic arsenal to restore the credibility of these three processes.

“The facilitators must adopt urgent, firm and coordinated measures to halt hostilities, restore respect for the agreements and prevent the total collapse of the peace framework that has been patiently built.”