M23 fighters, backed by Rwanda, continue to advance into eastern DR Congo. "One of the main factors explaining the weakness of the FARDC lies in systemic corruption," suggested Alain De Neve, a researcher at the Royal Higher Institute for Defense in Brussels,

Direct peace talks between AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government are set to start in Luanda, on March 18, Angola's presidency announced in a statement on Wednesday, March 13.

Mine shafts snake under the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's mountains, but instead of the Congolese government their rich veins are making a mint for the Rwanda-backed M23.

Advancing anti-government fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo forced the temporary closure of the world's third most productive tin mine, its operator said in a statement received by AFP Friday.