M23 Rebels Push South in Congo After Taking Goma.
M23 fighters moved toward Bukavu this week after taking the city of Goma. These rebels, who have Rwanda's help, want more land in east Congo.
The fights are part of an old war about power and wealth. This war has killed many thousands of people. More than one million people have had to leave their homes since the latest fights began.
M23 forces came into Goma on Monday night. They took over the airport by Tuesday evening. Many army troops gave up their weapons. By Wednesday, the rebels ran the broken city. Dead bodies lay in the streets. The rebels say they can bring order back.
The rebels then went south into new areas. They met Congolese troops and fighters from Burundi there. The United Nations said Rwanda sent troops across the border as well.
Having troops from Burundi and Rwanda makes people fear a bigger war. The area saw two bad wars between 1996 and 2003. Those wars took millions of lives.
The M23 group takes its name from a peace deal made on March 23, 2009. That deal ended an earlier fight led by the Tutsi people in east Congo. These rebels started fighting again in 2022.
The group says Congo's leaders broke the peace deal. They want more Tutsi people in Congo's army and government offices. They also want to protect the Tutsi people from Hutu fighters called FDLR. The FDLR began with Hutu people who left Rwanda after killing close to one million Tutsi people in 1994.
M23 runs Congo's coltan mines near Rubaya. These mines bring them $800,000 each month. As they take more land, they can make more money from mining.
Congo's leaders, UN workers, and Western nations say Rwanda helps M23. They point to a UN report from 2022 that shows Rwanda's troops fighting with M23.
Rwanda's leader, Paul Kagame, says this is not true. He says his troops only defend Rwanda. He thinks Congo works with the FDLR, which has hurt the Tutsi people in both lands.
Rwanda has been to Congo before, coming with Uganda in 1996 and 1998. They said they had to stop groups that might hurt them.
UN peace troops try to help Congo's army fight M23. These troops have worked in Congo for many years. They planned to leave last year but stayed when the war got worse. About 11,000 UN troops serve there.
After M23 took Goma, some UN workers left. Many people came to UN bases for safety. Army leaders and some fighters who gave up their weapons stayed there.
Some fighters from other lands who helped train Congo's army also gave up. Troops from Burundi help Congo fight M23. They guard an airport near Bukavu.
A group of 16 nations from South Africa sends troops to help Congo. Both these groups and Congo's army lost men in fights this year.
M23 fighters moved toward Bukavu this week after taking the city of Goma. These rebels, who have Rwanda's help, want more land in east Congo.
The fights are part of an old war about power and wealth. This war has killed many thousands of people. More than one million people have had to leave their homes since the latest fights began.
M23 forces came into Goma on Monday night. They took over the airport by Tuesday evening. Many army troops gave up their weapons. By Wednesday, the rebels ran the broken city. Dead bodies lay in the streets. The rebels say they can bring order back.
The rebels then went south into new areas. They met Congolese troops and fighters from Burundi there. The United Nations said Rwanda sent troops across the border as well.
Having troops from Burundi and Rwanda makes people fear a bigger war. The area saw two bad wars between 1996 and 2003. Those wars took millions of lives.
The M23 group takes its name from a peace deal made on March 23, 2009. That deal ended an earlier fight led by the Tutsi people in east Congo. These rebels started fighting again in 2022.
The group says Congo's leaders broke the peace deal. They want more Tutsi people in Congo's army and government offices. They also want to protect the Tutsi people from Hutu fighters called FDLR. The FDLR began with Hutu people who left Rwanda after killing close to one million Tutsi people in 1994.
M23 runs Congo's coltan mines near Rubaya. These mines bring them $800,000 each month. As they take more land, they can make more money from mining.
Congo's leaders, UN workers, and Western nations say Rwanda helps M23. They point to a UN report from 2022 that shows Rwanda's troops fighting with M23.
Rwanda's leader, Paul Kagame, says this is not true. He says his troops only defend Rwanda. He thinks Congo works with the FDLR, which has hurt the Tutsi people in both lands.
Rwanda has been to Congo before, coming with Uganda in 1996 and 1998. They said they had to stop groups that might hurt them.
UN peace troops try to help Congo's army fight M23. These troops have worked in Congo for many years. They planned to leave last year but stayed when the war got worse. About 11,000 UN troops serve there.
After M23 took Goma, some UN workers left. Many people came to UN bases for safety. Army leaders and some fighters who gave up their weapons stayed there.
Some fighters from other lands who helped train Congo's army also gave up. Troops from Burundi help Congo fight M23. They guard an airport near Bukavu.
A group of 16 nations from South Africa sends troops to help Congo. Both these groups and Congo's army lost men in fights this year.
