Conflict in Goma leaves thousands dead and displaced as residents struggle to rebuild amid fragile security

The Congolese returning to Goma to rebuild their homeland said they were heartbroken over the devastated situation in the city, which left them wandering how to reconstruct their life with fragile security and limited resources.

Tensions are running high in the DRC as fighting between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group and the DRC army continues in the eastern city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, with M23 rebels saying on Jan 27 that it has taken control of the city.

The death toll from the conflicts between M23 rebels and the government forces rose to over 2,900, said Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), on Wednesday. Having returned to Goma from the eastern town of Rutshuru, Emmanuel Murenzi said the ravaged situation gave him no confidence in rebuilding his life and he decided to return to Rutshuru.

"I'm going back to my home [in Rutshuru], because the situation here is the same. Previously, we were afraid of war, but now there is no more fighting. There is also no need to stay in the camp, because it was destroyed. So, we decided to return to the village in Rutshuru," he said.

Kashagaza Bwami, who was displaced from Kibumba, said he wanted to reconstruct his house in Goma, but the city has few resources available.

"I need to build a place to house my family. I need sheet metal, nails, planks, rafters and cement," he said.

Mugenzi Karugwe, who is in charge of a site for displaced people in Bujari in Nyiragongo territory, said the situation in Goma made him worried about transporting and providing shelter for his children.

"First of all, all our houses were destroyed. We're wondering where we're going and where our children will spend the night. We have babies, but we don't have any means of transportation," he said.

Conflict in Goma leaves thousands dead and displaced as residents struggle to rebuild amid fragile security

Conflict in Goma leaves thousands dead and displaced as residents struggle to rebuild amid fragile security

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday called for coordinated actions to offset the Middle East War's impact on the world economy.

In a speech titled "Cushioning the Middle East War Shock" at the opening of the 2026 IMF Spring Meetings, Georgieva urged all countries to "reject go-it-alone actions, export controls, price controls, and so on" that could further disrupt global conditions.

She said that fiscal authorities should provide targeted and temporary support to the vulnerable, aligned with their medium-term fiscal frameworks.

The IMF chief also called on central banks to step in firmly with rate hikes if inflation expectations threaten to break anchor and ignite a costly price spiral, while stressing that fiscal support should remain targeted and temporary.

Furthermore, Georgieva noted that all nations must use their limited fiscal resources responsibly, and that both micro- and macro-prudential policies need to be aligned to mitigate stability risks and maintain a resilient financial system.

Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb 28, global daily oil supply has fallen by about 13 percent, while liquefied natural gas supply has dropped by roughly 20 percent, according to IMF data. Those reductions have sent international energy prices soaring.

Brent crude oil briefly jumped from 72 U.S. dollars per barrel before the conflict to 120 U.S. dollars, and while prices have since eased, they remain significantly higher than pre-war levels. The cost of accessing energy has risen sharply for many nations.

Georgieva pledged support to members with financing through the fog of uncertainty, expecting near-term demand for IMF balance-of-payments support to rise to somewhere between 20 billion and 50 billion U.S. dollars, given the spillovers of the Middle East War.

IMF chief urges coordinated actions to offset Middle East War's impact on world economy