DRC Government: Corrupt but internationally recognized, trying to hold the country together while barely controlling half of it.
M23 Rebels: Rwandan-backed, slick uniforms, claim to protect Tutsis but mostly just want land and resources.
ADF (Allied Democratic Forces): Originally Ugandan Islamist rebels, now basically a brutal mafia with an ISIS rebrand.
Mai-Mai Militias: Local self-defense groups that range from anti-government patriots to witchcraft-wielding bandits.
FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda): Hutu extremists who fled Rwanda after the genocide and now chill in eastern Congo causing chaos.
Foreign Powers (esp. Rwanda and Uganda): Deny everything but clearly funnel weapons and money to rebels to control Congo’s mineral wealth.