M23 seizes east DR Congo town in ceasefire violation

 

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels on Wednesday seized a disputed town in east Democratic Republic of Congo, in a fresh violation of a ceasefire agreed in August, local sources told AFP.

Since launching an offensive in late 2021, the largely Tutsi M23 militia has seized large swathes of territory in east DRC, displacing thousands of people and causing a humanitarian disaster.

A ceasefire between the DRC army and the Rwanda-backed M23 had been in place since early August following mediation by Angola.

The truce had been largely respected by the Congolese and Rwandan armies, but regularly violated by armed groups affiliated with the countries' armed forces.

The M23 on Wednesday re-entered the town of Kalembe after fighting with the Wazalendo, a coalition of militia backing the Congolese army, according to several sources.

"We can confirm that the M23 controls Kalembe," Kabaki Mwanankoyo, a local leader of a group in the town, told AFP.

"The M23 has been pushing out the Wazalendo" since 10:00 am local time (0800 GMT), a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The enemy is using all its artillery to massacre us" and "has managed to take one of our positions", Wazalendo spokesperson Marcellin Shenkuku told AFP.

But "for the moment, it's difficult to say who is in control of Kalembe", he added.

M23 combatants first entered the town of Kalembe on Sunday, in the North Kivu province, before being pushed back by a pro-Kinshasa militia.

The occupation of the town of Kalembe on Sunday by the Forces of the March 23 Movement constitutes "a flagrant violation" of the ceasefire, the Angolan government said in a statement published on Monday.

The Angolan government "rejects and vigorously condemns this hostile act, which jeopardises ongoing efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict", it added.

Kalembe, a town of around 40,000 people, is located on one of the two main roads in the area, which provides access to gold, coltan and diamond deposits in the Walikale territory, in western North Kivu province.

The mineral-rich region is home to a string of rival rebel groups and has been plagued by internal and cross-border violence for the past three decades.