The issue of security has gotten worse in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result, the Congolese government requested an emergency public session of the UN Security Council on January 24, according to a press release from the Foreign Ministry.

Due to the escalating crisis, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi cut short his participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, returning to Kinshasa on January 23. After returning, he convened crisis meetings at the Cité de l'Union Africaine. The first meeting last Friday lasted three hours and included Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka and Deputy Prime Ministers Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo and Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita. The agenda focused on assessing the security and humanitarian situation in North Kivu, particularly around Goma.

After a recent Security Council meeting, Congolese army spokesman Major General Sylvain Ekenge announced the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami, the military governor of North Kivu province. Cirimwami "fell on the field of honor with his weapon in his hand," Ekenge stated. He had been at the front lines during an M23 offensive near Saké, just 20 kilometers west of Goma.

"The supreme commander has given firm instructions for the attackers to be hunted down to their last entrenchment, pushed away from Goma, and pursued until the full recovery of the occupied territory," Ekenge added. Implementing these directives will require exceptional security expenditures, highlighting the conflict's significant impact on budget execution.

The conflict in eastern DRC has been going on for over two decades. Under the 2025 budget law, it is identified as "one of the major risks weighing on public finances." Authorities warn that this conflict could jeopardize budget balance, limit public policy financing capabilities, and threaten economic stability.

Exceptional Security Spending 

In 2023, exceptional security spending reached $1.4 billion—approximately 2.2% of GDP and 11.5% of the overall state budget, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report. Since declaring a state of siege in May 2021 in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, execution rates for security-related expenditures have exceeded 100%. The rates surged from 50% and 254.7% in 2020 to 336% and 411.2% in 2021, reaching 508% and an astonishing 2001.9% in 2022. This situation has constrained other expenditures, particularly capital investments.

Furthermore, the conflict disrupts economic activity and hampers tax revenue mobilization. For instance, revenues collected from Rutshuru territory—a region frequently occupied by M23 rebels—plummeted from 85.8 million Congolese francs (CF) in 2020 to just CF11 million in 2023. The authorities noted that “access to tax branches in Ituri, Djugu, and Mambasa has been severely limited due to ongoing attacks by armed groups and militias, resulting in a shortfall of nearly CF10.3 million in 2023”.

Pierre Mukoko