Who are the M23 rebels and why is there fighting in eastern DRC?

The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 on Friday seized the airport in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just weeks after capturing Goma in neighbouring North Kivu.

There are fears that the conflict in eastern DRC, which has intensified a humanitarian crisis, could spark a broader war with Rwanda.

What is M23?

M23, or the March 23 Movement, is one of more than 100 armed groups fighting Congolese forces in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. It has been present in North Kivu province in areas bordering Rwanda and Uganda and has more than 8,000 fighters, according to the UN.

It is named after the date in 2009 of the signing of an accord between the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), a Tutsi-led rebel group, and the Congolese government to end a revolt led by the Tutsi people in eastern DRC.

Why is M23 fighting Congolese forces?

M23 was created in 2012 after former CNDP troops rebelled against the Congolese government, accusing it of failing to implement the 2009 agreement by integrating Tutsi fighters into the army, protecting minorities and distributing resources evenly.

It says its objective is to safeguard the interests of the Congolese Tutsi and other minorities, including protecting them against Hutu rebel groups who escaped to the DRC after taking part in the 1994 genocide that targeted Tutsis.

In 2012, the militia made significant territorial gains in eastern DRC, including briefly seizing Goma before withdrawing 10 days later after an agreement brokered by neighbouring nations.

In a resurgence starting in 2022, the group mounted an offensive in North Kivu against DRC’s armed forces and the UN mission in the country. M23 took control of Rubaya, a key coltan mining town, last year. It makes $800,000 (£644,800) monthly in taxes on production and trade of the mineral, according to the UN.

In January, the rebel group made further territorial gains, capturing the towns of Katale, Masisi, Minova and Sake, and now the city of Goma.

On Friday, the group captured Bukavu’s airport in South Kivu province, after a speedy advance south from Goma.

How is Rwanda involved in the eastern DRC conflict?

DRC, the US and other countries have all accused Rwanda of backing M23, which Rwanda denies.

UN experts say Rwanda’s army is in “de facto control” of the group and that as of last July, between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan government troops were operating with M23 in eastern DRC.

In early February, the Guardian reported that thousands of Rwandan soldiers had died during the conflict, contradicting claims from Kigali that its troops were not involved.

Who is helping Congolese forces in eastern DRC?

There are about 11,000 peacekeepers in DRC, mostly in the country’s east, as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco). The Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or SAMIDRC, also has troops in the country.

African leaders and the US have in the past brokered ceasefires.

What is the humanitarian impact of the conflict?

The violence in eastern DRC has compounded the problems of a country that, with more than 6 million people displaced, already has one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

South Kivu and North Kivu, both provinces in the east of the country, have more than 4.6 million internally displaced people. This year alone, the conflict in eastern DRC has displaced 400,000 people.

Numerous cases of executions, sexual violence and other atrocities have been reported in the course of the recent fighting. In February, Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of Monusco, said hundreds of women had been raped and burned to death during a mass jailbreak reportedly perpetuated by M23.