M23 rebels have captured Minova, a key eastern DR Congo town and supply route to Goma, the mining towns of Lumbishi, Numbi, and Shanje, and the North Kivu town of Bweremana. While the DRC army acknowledged the group’s advances in Minova and Bweremana, it did not confirm the reported losses. Since its resurgence in 2022, the M23, an armed rebel group primarily composed of ethnic Tutsis, has seized large swathes of mineral-rich eastern Congo, exacerbating a decades-long conflict that has killed over six million people and displaced seven million. Goma residents face rising fears as battles close in, with supply routes cut off and humanitarian activities in Minova suspended. In fact, the crisis has led to over 237,000 displacements this year alone, according to recent UN reports.
Source: Aljazeera
