Resurgent east Congo violence displaces 72,000 in one week

Congolese civilians carry their belongings as they flee near the Congolese border with Rwanda after fightings broke out in Kibumba, outside Goma in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Djaffar Sabiti

DAKAR (Reuters) - Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the past week between the army and M23 rebel group has forced more than 72,000 people from their homes, the United Nations said on Friday.

The M23, a rebellion claiming to represent the interests of ethnic Tutsis in eastern Congo, is staging its largest offensive since a 2012-2013 insurrection that captured vast swathes of the countryside.