There are bodies in the streets in the DRC as rebel group's sweep reignites decades old conflict
A deadly insurgency is sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country three times the size of Texas that is estimated to hold trillions of dollars worth of minerals essential to smartphones, computers and electric vehicle batteries.
A deadly insurgency is sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country three times the size of Texas that is estimated to hold trillions of dollars worth of minerals essential to smartphones, computers and electric vehicle batteries.
The rebel group M23 is vying to expand its control by pushing south from Goma in the most dramatic escalation in the decades-old conflict for 13 years. The United Nations has warned that the conflict is at risk of spiraling into a war in a region that’s no stranger to bitter fighting.
After seizing control of Goma, a key city in the east of the country, earlier this week, M23’s leader Corneille Nangaa vowed to take the battle all the way to the country’s capital, Kinshasa. Meanwhile, the Congolese government called for a massive mobilization and President Felix Tshisekedi vowed to “reconquer every inch of our territory.”
War has raged for years in the Democratic Republic of Congo (also known as the DRC), which lies some 4,000 miles away from the U.S. While it may seem remote to the United States, the impact of the latest developments will reverberate around the world. NBC News takes a look at what is going on in the vast African country and what the conflict’s impact will be around the world.
Conflict marred the DRC before and after it became independent from Belgium in 1960. The latest bout of fighting has been worsening for around three years, with clashes between national troops and Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents escalating in January. More than 400,000 people were displaced last month alone, the United Nations says. Firefights in Goma have also claimed the lives of several United Nations peacekeepers.
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