M23 remain in eastern DR Congo town despite announcing withdrawal

 Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani(C) meeting with Rwandan leader Paul Kagame (L) and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in Doha on March 18, 2025. [Photo, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

The M23 armed group on Sunday was keeping hold of the town of Walikale which it recently captured in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite announcing it planned to withdraw to further peace talks.

The Rwanda-backed outfit announced on Saturday that it was "repositioning its forces" outside the outskirts of Walikale to help create the right conditions for "peace and political dialogue".

At the same time, it said it would not allow government troops to return to the town, which is home to about 60,000 people, and warned that "any provocation or attack... will lead to an automatic cancellation of this decision".

Walikale is the M23's further advance westward in the DRC since it emerged in 2012.

On Saturday evening, Congolese soldiers said they would "observe with vigilance" the withdrawal and refrain from any offensive action, urging pro-government local militia to do the same "to encourage de-escalation".

"We're obviously going to see if the M23 withdraws from Walikale and if it will prioritise dialogue" DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba was quoted as saying by Congolese media.

Rwanda, which UN experts have said is supporting the M23 with some 4,000 soldiers, on Sunday welcomed announcements from both sides, saying it backed "a lasting political and security settlement for the region".

 'Still here' 

Locals in Walikale and a Congolese military source on Sunday reported no fighting in the area around the town, which has been heavily attacked by the Congolese air force in recent days.

"We woke up to calm. There were no bombardments this morning. The M23 are still here," one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A medical source, who also asked not to be named, said there had been no bombardment from Congolese jets and the M23 "are still with us".

One soldier described the situation as "calm" but could not confirm if the armed group had withdrawn.

But there was fighting between M23 and pro-government Wazalendo ("patriots") militia in the neighbouring province of South-Kivu, some 20 kilometres (nearly 13 miles) from Bukavu, which the armed group took in mid-February.

'Chaotic' 

Locals in Myangezi told AFP they were hunkering down after similar skirmishes on Saturday.

"Clashes have started again," said one resident. "The situation is chaotic, everyone is stuck in their own homes."

Representatives of the government in Kinshasa and the M23 had been due to have direct discussions on March 18 in Luanda, the capital of neighbouring Angola, but they were cancelled at the last minute.

On the same day, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame "reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire" after a surprise meeting in Doha organised by Qatar.

On the ground, however, fighting has continued.

The M23 took control of Walikale on Wednesday evening. The town is located at the junction of two roads leading to Goma and Bukavu, which the group seized after a lightning offensive.

Goma and Bukavu are the main cities in North and South Kivu provinces, in the mineral-rich east, which has been blighted by conflict for decades.

Walikale is near gold deposits and the tin mine at Bisie, the world's third largest in terms of production and where operations have been halted since mid-March.

After taking Goma, the M23 declared a unilateral "humanitarian" ceasefire which lasted 48 hours before fighters pushed on into South-Kivu.

Half a dozen ceasefires and truces have been declared since 2021 but did not hold for long. All diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have so far failed.