Fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the past week between the army and the M23 rebel group has forced more than 72,000 people from their homes, the United Nations said on Friday. The M23, a rebellion claiming to represent the interests of ethnic Tutsis in eastern Congo, is staging its largest offensive since a 2012-2013 insurrection that captured vast swathes of the countryside. Of the 72,000 who have fled, about 7,000 reportedly crossed into neighbouring Uganda, the U.N. Eastern Congo has experienced near-constant conflict since 1996 when Rwanda and other neighbouring states invaded in pursuit of Hutu militiamen who had participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Congo has 5.6 million internally displaced persons, the most in Africa, according to U.N. figures.

Source: Nigerian Tribune May 27, 2022 13:49 UTC