DRC M23 Rebels:
- M23 fighters were once loyal to a rebel army that assimilated into the national army of Congo in a 2009 peace deal
- Hundreds of former rebel army members mutinied earlier this year, complaining that the government had not fulfilled promises of better pay and weapons
- From the mutineers, the M23 - named for the March 23, 2009 peace deal - emerged
- A U.N. report said there are indications the rebels are getting outside aid. U.N. experts say Rwanda and Uganda are backing M23. Both Countries deny this
- The U.N. Security Council is considering sanctions on M23 leaders and has demanded an end to "all outside support" of the group
- Experts say a driving force behind the regional conflict are deposits of tin, gold, tungsten, and coltan, a mineral used in laptops and mobile phones in eastern Congo, where M23 operates