take up arms

Many of the volunteers who took up arms three years ago have either been killed, maimed, or are too exhausted to fight any more.

The M23 are led by ethnic Tutsis, who say they needed to take up arms to protect the rights of the minority group.

Idengo was awaiting trail after his jailing last year for inciting people to take up arms and force UN peacekeepers to leave the country.

Makenga and his rebels took up arms again, capturing territory in North Kivu province.

For now, the group’s leaders were focused on saving the militia, not taking up arms to fight their enemies.