M23 rebels, Congo riches and war in the DRC | Explained

M23, a Rwanda-backed armed rebel group, are fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - and they’re gaining ground.

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They made headline news early in January when they took the largest city in the east, Goma. Now, reports say their troops have entered the second-largest city in the region, Bukavu.

M23 have formed an alliance with other groups who say their ultimate goal is to topple the DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi and rule the country.

For some, that’s cause for celebration. For others, it’s yet another brutal phase in a devastating conflict that has spanned decades.

The group says it is fighting to defend the rights of the Tutsi ethnic group - who were brutally slaughtered in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

But the Congolese government says M23 is the puppet army of its neighbour and enemy Rwanda, sent to plunder the country’s mineral wealth.

We’re going to tell you what’s really driving today's conflict between M23 and the Congolese army and how the outcome of the war could have implications for millions of people.

Reported by Kiran Moodley

Produced by Milena Dambelli, Freddie Gower and Kieron Bryan

Edited by Milena Dambelli

Graphics by Ian Watkins

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