Kanyarutshinya, 1 November 2022: A United Nations truck burns after being set on fire when a group of civilians attacked a convoy, amid rising frustration at the advance of the M23 rebels. The attack took place after false rumours circulated that the United Nations helping to transport the rebels
Over the past year, the M23 rebel movement has captured vast tracts of land in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, even advancing towards Goma, the regional capital.
The rebels claim to be protecting the region’s Kinyarwanda speaking population, but the Congolese government says they are a military proxy for the Rwandan government.
Both rebel and government forces have been accused of committing serious human rights violations, and the East African Community has deployed an intervention force to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
This article first appeared in The Continent, the pan-African weekly newspaper produced in partnership with the Mail & Guardian. It’s designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. Download your free copy here.