M23 rebels advance deeper into eastern Congo, defying ceasefire call

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced further into Congolese territory on Wednesday, entering the outskirts of Walikale, a town located about 125 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city.

The conflict in eastern Congo intensified in January when the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, captured the strategic city of Goma, followed by Bukavu in February. Walikale, a town of approximately 15,000 people, is now under threat, bringing the rebels within 400 kilometers of Kisangani, Congo’s fourth-largest city.

On Tuesday, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame held their first direct talks in Qatar since the M23 rebels escalated their offensive in January. Qatar mediated the meeting, which aimed to address the ongoing insurgency.

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Congo and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, but the joint statement offered no specifics on how that ceasefire would be implemented or monitored.

The United Nations says Rwanda has supported the ethnic Tutsi-led rebels by providing arms and sending troops.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east.

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