- Many Indigenous groups have been forced to flee from armed groups that have invaded their territories and are carrying out extractive activities in eastern DR Congo.
- Human rights organizations, including Minority Rights Group (MRG), have documented reports of killings and violence orchestrated against the Batwa and Bambuti, whom armed groups suspect by are aiding the government forces.
- Most of these Indigenous communities do not receive benefits or money from the mining activities occurring on their traditional lands, Samuel Ade Ndasi of Minority Rights Group says. Some community members are being used as forced labor in some of the mining activities.
- Mongabay interviews Ndasi, who says armed groups like the M23 must respect of all the norms of international law and ensure that Indigenous peoples are not forcefully displaced from their ancestral territories.
The resumption of hostilities since the M23 (March 23 Movement) rebel group resurged and captured territories in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2021 has had a devastating toll on the environment and Indigenous livelihoods, sources say. And after the M23 gained ground and captured key cities in early 2025, U.N. agencies warn of worsening humanitarian and human rights crises as the conflict continues to drive tens of thousands of people from their homes.
“The illegal extraction activities currently being carried out by armed groups, militias and multinational companies in the east of the DRC means that Indigenous communities are being forced (through violent means) to leave the areas they have traditionally occupied or be killed,” Samuel Ade Ndasi says.
Ndasi is the African Union advocacy and litigation senior officer at Minority Rights Group, a human rights organization. At least 237,000 people, including Indigenous Batwa people, have been displaced following the latest fighting between government forces and M23 rebels in early 2025, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Multiple armed groups and militias that also take part in violent extraction in the region are joining the current conflict, adding to the chaos.
“The belligerents must respect international human rights norms particularly in areas they have captured or are in control of, by ensuring the rights of all are protected,” Ndasi says. “Situations of war do not negate the belligerents’ responsibilities under international human rights law.”
To better understand the issues faced by Indigenous communities especially in North and South Kivu provinces, which are among the hardest-hit regions of the DRC, Mongabay conducted an exclusive interview with Samuel Ndasi.
This discussion has been edited for clarity.
Mongabay: How is the current conflict situation in eastern DRC affecting minorities and Indigenous peoples?
Samuel Ade Ndasi: The current conflict represents an escalation of the crisis that has plagued the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the 1990s, and it has seen violence mostly in the eastern part of the country affecting Indigenous peoples and minorities living in areas rich in mineral resources and lush forests.
For many Indigenous groups, including the Batwa and Bambuti, these areas are their traditional ancestral territories. These serve as their homes, shelters, their places of worship and practice of their culture, and in general serve as a source of their livelihood. Their survival as a people depends on their presence in the forest, which represents their home.
Mongabay: The latest upsurge in violence in recent weeks has pushed thousands of people, including Indigenous people, from their homes and lands. How do these conflicts and militarization in the lands and territories of Indigenous peoples fundamentally affect their survival?
Samuel Ade Ndasi: The Batwa and Bambuti (among others), besides being Indigenous to the areas they have occupied for centuries, are also ethnic minorities considering that there are fewer of them compared to the rest of the population of the DRC and because of their distinctive features in respect to their culture, language, religion or beliefs systems.
The current conflict has worsened the situation for these vulnerable and marginalized communities who have suffered for decades displacements, destruction of their shelters, disruption of their traditional ways of life. This has rendered them destitute. Many community members have been forced to flee from the brutal belligerents who have invaded their territories and are carrying out mining activities and from the war in which many have been killed in the crossfire.
They have seen their shelters destroyed or burnt down and now live in destitute conditions in neighboring areas. They are cut off from humanitarian aid and suffer from sicknesses and diseases due to their inability to access their forests to collect herbs and traditional medicine. Particularly, those who are in Ituri and around Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) have been disproportionately affected by the escalation of the conflict.
We have received reports of killings and violence orchestrated against the Batwa and Bambuti, who are suspected by armed groups of aiding the government forces for their protection. There have even been reports of sexual violence (rapes, gang rapes, etc.), targeted killings and killings based on language and ethnic identity.
Mongabay: Specifically, what challenges do Indigenous and minority groups face in protecting natural resources and ecosystems, considering the current devastating situation in eastern DRC?
Samuel Ade Ndasi: Due to the very complex situation, these communities have had their lands seized without being compensated. Mining activities are being done without the communities being consulted and/or their consent being sought and obtained.
The communities do not share in the benefit from the mining activities. Some community members are even being used as forced labor in some of the mining activities. These extraction activities (uncontrolled) are destroying the ecosystem.
The escalation of the conflict has favored illegal logging, which destroys the homes and shelters of Indigenous peoples, their places of worship and practice of their culture, as well as depleting the rich flora and fauna of these forests.
The displacement of Indigenous communities means they can no longer monitor and report suspicious (mining) activities within their territories, which are depleting their natural resources and destroying the environment. Consequently, they cannot protect the resources in their territories or prevent the destruction of the environment.
Mongabay: Do you think the belligerents, in this case armed groups and the M23, have a solution to protect these Indigenous peoples living in conflict zones?
Samuel Ade Ndasi: Geneva Convention IV Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War requires that humanitarian safe zones be created or established for the protection of civilians, including Indigenous peoples. This is not the case of what’s happening in eastern DRC.
For example, some established humanitarian zones have been violated by violent attacks from armed militias in North and South Kivu, where these Indigenous communities are based.
Secondly, belligerents must also respect international human rights standards, particularly in areas they have conquered or control, ensuring there is respect for the human rights of Indigenous communities in this region.
International law prohibits the forced eviction of these communities from their territories. Belligerents must therefore respect all the norms of international law and ensure that Indigenous peoples are not forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands.
Mongabay: Natural resources are currently considered one of the main causes of current conflicts in eastern DRC. What role can Indigenous people play in the peace process, keeping in mind that this specific group has a close relationship with the environment and natural resources?
Samuel Ade Ndasi: Generally, these Indigenous people are not recognized as the traditional owners of the lands and territories where these natural resources are found or being exploited by the armed groups. Even the process of the creation of protected areas (like parks) in the east of DRC did not recognize these Indigenous communities who were forcefully evicted without their consent, not being paid any compensation and/or not being formally resettled.
If these communities are recognized as owners of the territories by way of award of collective titles, then procedure dictates that they should be consulted and their consent effectively sought before any extraction activity is carried out.
It also means that these communities will benefit from profit-sharing due to the activities. Development initiatives will result from legal mining activities and these will improve the living standards of these communities.
Also, safeguards will be put in place to ensure resource extraction activities are done in a sustainable manner that protects the environment and the delicate ecosystem. In the present situation, Indigenous people are unable play any meaningful role in any peace process, as they are not recognized as entities with high stakes in the order of things in the conduct of the present conflict.
Banner image: Two Aboriginal women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Image by Élie Nzuzi via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
This article was also published here in French on Mongabay’s French site.
The environmental toll of the M23 conflict in eastern DRC (Analysis)
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