What is the fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo about - and is Rwanda invading?
What is the fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo about - and is Rwanda invading?
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Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) risks spilling over into a regional war, it is feared, as Rwanda-backed rebels claim to have captured the key city of Goma. The leader of a rebel alliance that includes the M23 group said fighters have taken the city, after making significant territorial gains in recent weeks.
Hundreds of people are being wounded every day as fighting in the central African country continues, worsening the humanitarian crisis there. There is also an international element to the decades-long situation, with UN peacekeepers killed in the conflict and Rwandan troops accused of fighting alongside the rebels.
Sky News' Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir says the situation is "extremely volatile" and there are fears of a Rwandan "invasion". Who are the M23 rebels and what do they want?. The name M23 refers to a March 23, 2009 accord which ended a previous revolt in eastern DRC led by ethnic Tutsis.
Displaced civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo face frenzy of fear and uncertainty. Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo say they have taken key city of Goma. Mysterious illness kills dozens in Congo as situation 'extremely worrying'. M23 has accused the DRC government of not living up to that peace deal and fully integrating Congolese Tutsis into the army and administration.
It is mostly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the army and launched its current rebellion in 2022. It has vowed to defend Tutsi interests, particularly against ethnic Hutu militias such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
