RSF Advance in North Kivu Prompts Preemptive Goma Flight
Renewed advances by AFC/M23 rebels toward Goma on April 6, 2026, sparked a wave of preemptive displacement. UN reports and Al Jazeera documented thousands of civilians moving toward makeshift camps in Goma as frontlines shifted closer to the city. Following IDMC methodology for a major ground offensive, this specific movement is estimated at 45,000 newly displaced persons fleeing the immediate combat zone of Sake and surrounding villages to the provincial capital.
Date: April 6, 2026
Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Conflict: M23 Rebellion
Category: ground battle
Severity: CRITICAL
Displaced: 45,000
Source: Al Jazeera