What are M23’s main goals in eastern DRC? M23 publicly claims its goals are to protect Congolese Tutsi communities from groups like the FDLR, end discrimination, and improve local governance and resource sharing. However, according to UN expert reports and independent analyses, these are largely pretexts. The group’s real objective, enabled by Rwandan support, is economic: to seize and control the region’s vast mineral wealth, particularly coltan, tin, gold, and tungsten. M23 operations have systematically targeted mining areas to facilitate large-scale looting and smuggling networks that benefit Rwandan economic interests.