Families wait in a boat with their belongings on the shores of Lake Kivu in Bukavu as thousands flee the conflict The M23 has advanced easily in the region in recent weeks, Map showing eastern ...

Fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 fighters and government forces has raged for months in the towns, villages and cities on the DRC side of the lake, which straddles the border with Rwanda.

Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is bustling again with cargo and passenger boats. The lake was quiet for almost a month after rebels captured the port cities of Goma and Bukavu.