Congo Claims that More than 7,000 People have died this Year as a Result of a Rebel Uprising in the East

Congo’s prime minister claimed Monday that the M23 rebels, who Rwanda backs, have taken an unprecedented amount of land in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, killing over 7,000 people so far this year. The security and humanitarian situation in the area “has reached alarming levels,” Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

With the rebels seizing the vital city of Goma in January and another province seat, Bukavu, a few weeks later, the war has intensified recently. Of the roughly 100 armed groups fighting for control of the eastern Congo, which has trillions of dollars in unexplored mineral wealth essential to global technology, M23 is the most powerful. Millions have been displaced by decades of simmering strife in the region, and the U.N. has warned of a greater threat.

The M23 has expressed interest in overthrowing Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration in far-off Kinshasa, which has maintained a shaky hold on the east for a long time. Supported by some 4,000 men from nearby Rwanda, a short drive from Goma, the rebels are trying to advance despite appeals for a ceasefire. M23 leaders have promised to “cleanse” cities of claimed instability and poor administration. The city of Uriva, where the shooting was recorded over the weekend, is now in danger from them.

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