The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they have submitted a request to the Senate to lift the immunity of former president Joseph Kabila, whom they accuse of collaborating with the M23 armed group. Justice Minister Constant Mutamba says that the justice system has gathered evidence to support Kabila's involvement in "war crimes, crimes against humanity and massacres of peaceful civilians and soldiers currently being perpetrated in the eastern part of the country", a region where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has captured large swathes of territory in recent months. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES