Rwanda-backed rebels said on Monday they captured Goma in eastern Congo, the government’s last stronghold in the mineral-rich region. It marks a sharp escalation in the one of Africa’s longest wars, threating to dramatically worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis and spill into a wider regional conflict. The rebels’ offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to one million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched local hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire. Here is what to know about the conflict: Who are the rebels and what do they want? The M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo. The group, made up primarily of ethnic Tutsi, led a defeated insurgency against the Congolese government in 2012. It was then dormant for a decade, until its resurgence in 2022. In recent weeks, the rebels have made significant territorial gains, seizing towns and villages and encircling Goma. The group traces its origins to the failed integration of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army. In 1994, Hutu militias in neighboring Rwanda killed between 500,000 and one million ethnic Tutsi, as well as moderate Hutus and Twa, an indigenous people. Following the genocide, many Hutus fled to eastern Congo. M23 claims to defend ethnic Tutsi and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination. Critics say it’s a pretext for Rwanda to obtain economic and political influence over eastern Congo. In territories under its control, M23 implements its own tax system, controls natural resources and implements a parallel governance system, replacing traditional chiefs with their people. M23 refers to the March 23, 2009, agreement that ended a previous uprising in the region. What’s the role of neighboring Rwanda? Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, which had only hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the United Nations, the group has around 6,500 fighters. While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo. Analysts say that Rwandan troops present in eastern Congo have been increasingly active in recent weeks. Congo’s foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, told a session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday that Rwanda was committing “a frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides itself behind diplomatic maneuvers.” Rwanda’s ambassador to the U.N., Ernest Rwamucyo, did not confirm or deny Congo’s claims. He blamed Congo’s government, saying the crisis could have been been averted if it had “demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace.” What are the reasons behind the fighting? Eastern Congo, abundant in metals and rare earth minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium and gold, has been a theater of violence for decade. Most of the country’s mineral resources remain untapped and are estimated to be worth $24 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce last year, which called Congo the world’s leading producer of cobalt, key to making batteries. Little of the region’s wealth has trickled down to Congolese citizens, with 60% out of its 100 million […]