Image M23 soldiers surrounded by abandoned Congolese military equipment in Goma, in January. Ruth Maclean reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Guerchom Ndebo from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

M23 fighters, backed by Rwanda, continue to advance into eastern DR Congo. "One of the main factors explaining the weakness ...

The rebels are backed by thousands of Rwandan troops, according to U.N. experts, and their superior weaponry and equipment ... east Congo's largest city, the military command and provincial ...

And successive presidents are said to have kept it weak for fear of a coup. Congo’s army has appeared too weak and dysfunctional to stop a militia that has swept through the eastern part of the ...

According to De Neve, another major issue for the FARDC is the "chronic deficit in training and equipment ... know where parts of the army are traveling in eastern Congo," he said.