What’s happening in eastern Congo and why aid groups are warning of a new humanitarian crisis

By GERALD IMRAY
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Aid organizations fear a new humanitarian crisis in the restive eastern Congo region, where the renowned armed rebel group M23 is in the midst of a new advance that threatens to cut off a major city and leave millions of people struggling for food and medical help. Eastern Congo has been beset by conflict for years, with M23 among more than 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich area. Eastern Congo already had one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with nearly 6 million people previously displaced because of conflict. There are concerns a new disaster could go largely unnoticed because of international attention on the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.