M23 fighters, backed by Rwanda, continue to advance into eastern DR Congo. "One of the main factors explaining the weakness of the FARDC lies in systemic corruption," suggested Alain De Neve, a researcher at the Royal Higher Institute for Defense in Brussels,

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group cautiously welcomed Thursday the prospect of direct negotiations with the Congolese government to end the conflict in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will engage in direct negotiations in the coming days to end the conflict in the country’s mineral-rich east, according to the presidency of Angola, which will mediate the talks.