M23 (March 23 Movement)

Force in Play

Controls Goma, Bukavu, and large areas of eastern DRC; engaged in peace talks and active combat simultaneously

Congolese authorities have uncovered at least 171 bodies in two mass graves on the outskirts of Uvira, an eastern DRC city. M23 withdrew from the city in January after the United States requested the pullback as a trust-building gesture. Local officials and civil society groups say the victims were killed by M23 fighters who suspected them of ties to the Congolese army or pro-government militias, though M23 denies involvement.

Updated May 29

Force in Play

Controls large swaths of eastern DRC including major mining sites

A landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed more than 400 people on January 29, 2026—miners, children, and market workers buried when rain-soaked tunnels collapsed. The mine, controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since May 2024, supplies roughly 15% of the world's coltan, which becomes tantalum capacitors in smartphones and aircraft engines worldwide. M23 extracts an estimated $800,000 monthly by taxing every gram of ore.

Updated May 26