Rebel group M23 no longer exists in eastern DR Congo

The March 23 movement (M23) is no longer existent as a rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), five days after President Bertrand Bisimwa declared the end of the rebellion. Towards the end of October, the DR Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) and the intervention brigade of the UN Mission for Stabilization of Congo (MONUSCO) launched operations against all positions of M23 rebels in Nyiragongo and Rutshuru territories, forcing the latter to flee and abandon a huge cache of their weapons. In May 2012, the rebel group had approximately 1,500 fighters, but in March 2013, it was divided into two factions with one being led by its ex-political president Jean Marie Runiga while the other faction was led by Bosco Ntaganda who took refuge in Rwanda with 600 of his fighters. UN sources in North Kivu have indicated that over 400 M23 fighters have been killed since the start of the fighting with FARDC in July. Last Thursday, the governor of North Kivu province, Julien Paluku, denied information alleging that M23 military chief Sultani Makenga had fled to Uganda with over 1,500 combatants. "Makenga did not go to Uganda with over 1,500 men. If Makenga had 1,500 men, with the weapons that we managed to seize, then the last battle with M23 at Chanzu would even have lasted for a year," Paluku said. A spokesman for the Ugandan government, cited by Radio France International (RFI), affirmed that close to 1,600 M23 fighters had crossed over to the Ugandan side in the last three weeks to escape the FARDC offensive. In a letter addressed to the Ugandan president, a copy of which Xinhua obtained on Saturday, M23 said its fighters were afraid of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process being led by the same forces fighting them. Governmental sources contacted by Xinhua said M23's political leader and the DR Congo government will on Monday sign a peace agreement in Kampala to politically resolve the crisis that has been destabilizing the eastern part of DR Congo.