Nov 22 (Reuters) - Here is some background on the M23 rebels, who took control of the city of Goma in eastern Congo this week and have said they will continue to advance toward the capital Kinshasa until President Joseph Kabila agrees to talks.
* THE NAME: M23 refers to a March 23, 2009, peace deal that ended a four year rebellion in eastern Congo and integrated former rebels into the Congolese army. The rebels said the government had violated the deal, including by not respecting their ranks and not providing enough resources to ensure the protection of mainly Tutsi refugees in the border region with Tutsi-led Rwanda. After a series of disputes, hundreds of former rebels mutinied against the government in April, leading to the group's formation. M23 officials have said they want the government to sign a new peace treaty, but the group is increasingly tapping into local frustrations over President Joseph Kabila's leadership to rally popular support.
* WHO'S IN CHARGE: M23's official leader is Colonel Sultani Makenga, though the U.N. Security Council's Group of Experts said that General Bosco Ntaganda - wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes during a previous rebellion - controls M23 on the ground. The M23, which now has around 4,000 armed men and has been recruiting more, has behaved in a similar fashion to previous rebel movements that have roamed the Kivu provinces of eastern Congo since the end of a 1998-2003 war by creating its own administration and its own financing system in parts of North Kivu.
* RWANDA'S ROLE: United Nations experts have documented evidence showing Kigali is both commanding and supporting M23, in part to control eastern Congo's rich natural resources. They say Rwanda's Defence Minister James Kabarebe gives orders to top M23 officers, and that Rwanda's military has recruited fighters for the insurgency. Rwanda and M23 deny the claims, though Rwanda has a long history of intervening in Congo over the past two decades. Several of Rwanda's partners, including the United States, have suspended aid over the evidence.
* WHAT'S NEXT: M23 rebels took control of the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma on Nov. 20 and have since moved on to Sake, a strategic town 25 km (15 miles) away where they are facing resistance. They have rejected calls to halt their advance, saying they will "liberate" all of Congo if President Joseph Kabila refuses to hold direct talks. The next big military target on the road to the capital Kinshasa is Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu. Kabila is in negotiations with Rwanda and Uganda - also accused of supporting M23 - to end the crisis, which has forced around 750,000 people to flee their towns and villages.
Sources: Reuters/Human Rights Watch/www.cfr.org/www.globalwitness.org/UN reports/www.crisisgroup.org/www.consultancy.africa.com (Reporting by David Cutler; Editing by Richard Valdmanis)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
