Sharjah24 - AFP: On Monday, thousands of anti-Rwanda demonstrators marched through Goma in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels merged their control over the surrounding countryside, as seen by AFP journalists.
A mostly Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years, accusing the Democratic Republic of Congo's government of failing to honour an agreement to integrate its fighters into the army.
Protesters chanted for weapons to fight Rwanda, as well as slogans hostile to Uganda, which some also accuse of backing the M23.
Police officers used tear gas to disperse protesters in Goma from the border post with Rwanda.
"We denounce the hypocrisy of the international community in the face of Rwanda's aggression," said Mambo Kawaya, a civil society representative attending the demonstration.
The group's resurgence has destabilised regional relations in central Africa, with the DRC accusing its smaller neighbour Rwanda of backing the militia.
The front line between the Congolese military and the M23 had been calm for several weeks, but fresh clashes from October 20 saw the militia make advances across North Kivu province.
"In less than a week, M23-controlled territory has nearly doubled," Kivu Security Tracker (KST), a respected violence monitor, said on Twitter.
The rebels "continued to advance north today" while DR Congo troops are "concentrated" in the south "to block their advance on Goma", it added.
The United Nations said it was worried by the fighting and estimated that it has forced some 50,000 people from their homes in the space of 11 days, including more than 10,000 who fled into Uganda.
Rebels in recent days seized the towns of Kiwanja and Rutshuru, along a strategic highway leading to the provincial capital Goma, which lies on the Rwandan border.
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