The leader of the M23 rebels, Corneille Nangaa, announced on Tuesday that he would withdraw from the city of Uvira, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This decision follows fierce criticism from the United States, but comes too late for the 500,000 civilians who have fled their homes.
Earlier this month, Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement brokered by the United States. The agreement was intended to end the ongoing violence in eastern Congo, which has been ravaged by conflict for decades. Various countries and armed groups have been fighting for years for power and control over valuable raw materials.
Congo has one of the largest reserves of natural resources in the world, but that wealth is accompanied by looting, exploitation and structural violence, including sexual violence. The instability in the country is partly the result of a brutal and genocidal colonial past, regional interference and the presence of more than 120 armed rebel groups, including M23.
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