The March 23 Movement, often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, is a Congolese Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed rebel military group. Based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it operates mainly in the province of North Kivu, which borders both Uganda and Rwanda. The M23 rebellion of 2012 to 2013 against the DRC government led to the displacement of large numbers of people. On 20 November 2012, M23 took control of Goma, a provincial capital with a population of a million people, but it was requested to evacuate it by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region because the DRC government had finally agreed to negotiate. In late 2012, Congolese troops, along with UN troops, retook control of Goma, and M23 announced a ceasefire and said that it wanted to resume peace talks.
Goma's streets saw bodies recovered as M23 rebels urged normalcy. President Tshisekedi promised a strong response. M23 forces..
Thousands of residents who fled following a major escalation of the decades-long conflict arrived at the Rwandan border, as M23..
The announcement comes as M23 rebels tightened their control over Goma city, seizing its airport.
