Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
The M23 is one of more than 100 militia groups fighting the government in the resource-rich eastern DR Congo. It is mostly made up of Congolese ethnic Tutsis.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
According to relief organisations, more than 37,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the last four days of the conflict.
According to local media, the national army has retaken certain locations that the M23 rebels had occupied in recent days.
The M23, meanwhile, continues to block the main road connecting Rutshuru and Goma, the provincial seat of North Kivu.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has once again accused Rwanda of assisting the rebels, which Kigali denies.
Rwanda demanded a regional probe into how artillery fire crossed into its country, hurting some Rwandans, earlier this week.
A police chief in Goma called on residents to pick up arms and defend themselves against the M23 on Wednesday.
The rebels have issued a statement criticizing such remarks, claiming that they are a formula for ethnic strife.
The M23 is one of more than 100 militia groups fighting the government in the resource-rich eastern DR Congo. It is mostly made up of Congolese ethnic Tutsis.
The rebels accuse the government of breaking an agreement that would have allowed them to form a political party, integrate their warriors into the national army, and allow refugees to return home.
