UN agencies warn the surging violence in eastern DRC and the risk of an imminent attack by the M23 armed group on Goma will have a catastrophic impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians. BRICS — which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with 6 new members — is a grouping of emerging economies hoping to increase their sway in the global order. Several African countries have depended on diamond sales to boost their economies, but with gems now being manufactured in laboratories, these revenues are shrinking.