The defection ceremony took place in front of the provincial police headquarters, drawing the attention of the local ...

The M23 movement, supported by some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to U.N. experts, now controls large tracts of troubled eastern Congo. Its rapid advance has sent tens of thousands fleeing.

More than 7,000 people have died this year as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured unprecedented amounts of territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo.