Rebels claim Goma, DRC

In November in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Rwandan border, members of the rebel group M23 captured several towns north of Goma and Goma, itself, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Hundreds of people have been killed, and the number of internally displaced persons has risen to 1.7 million.

Comprised mainly of Congolese army soldiers who mutinied, M23 has been speaking of a push toward the capital city of Kinshasa. The group is widely believed to be supported with arms from Rwanda, which has an interest in gaining access to mineral resources near the border.

Active, armed militant groups in the DRC include M23, FDLR (Hutu extremists), the Lord’s Resistance Army and Mai Mai militias.