The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured eastern Congo's major city of Goma have targeted relatives of fleeing Congolese soldiers, the families say, with the troops' wives chased from military barracks and left stranded in the city while some of their children are allegedly being forced to join the rebellion.
As the M23 rebels swept into Goma in late January, they moved into military camps in and around the city, which had hosted hundreds of military families, and quickly emptied them of their relatives, the women said.
