Rapid Fire
DRC Conflict and M23 Militia
- 18 Feb 2025
- 1 min read
The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has escalated with the M23 militia, backed by Rwanda, capturing the mineral-rich city of Goma.
- The conflict has resulted in 2,900 deaths, displaced nearly 700,000 people, and spread to South Kivu province, a region rich in resources.
- M23 Formed in 2012 after the failure of a 2009 peace agreement between the DRC government and Tutsi-led National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP).
- M23 claims to protect Tutsis in DRC, while Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) fights for Hutus.
- Hutu-Tutsi conflicts have existed since Belgian and German colonial rule, with Tutsis favored in governance.
- Rwandan Genocide (1994) was a mass killing of the Tutsi ethnic group by Hutu extremists in Rwanda.
- The DRC supplies 40% of the world’s Coltan, used to make Tantalum capacitors for electronics due to its high charge retention.
Read More: Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
