Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero is an evangelical bishop and the former President of the March 23 Movement (M23),[1] a rebel military faction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which took control of the eastern city of Goma in November, 2012.
[2] He previously rejected a deadline by a regional summit in Uganda for the M23 movement to withdraw from Goma saying "withdrawal from Goma should not be a prerequisite for talks but rather should come as the result of talks".
[3] He was sacked from the movement after he signed an accord on February 24 pledging to end the conflict.
[4] In a statement signed by M23's military leader, Sultani Makenga, he was accused of treason because of "financial embezzlement, divisions, ethnic hatred, deceit and political immaturity".
[5] A faction of the M23 loyal to him, including M23 founder Bosco Ntaganda, have clashed with those loyal to Sultani Makenga.