The M23 rebels captured a strategic mining hub in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and immediately avoided calls from the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC.
A Congolese Army spokesperson said the M23 controls the town of Warikal. Officers separately told the French Press that in the town of Mbi, their units are about 20 miles (30 km) apart.
Walikel in North Kivu province is the farthest west of the M23 reached during the lightning advance that began in January.
The town has large deposits of tin and many important goldmines. Tin is widely used as a protective coating for other metals and industries such as food packaging and electronics.
In controlling Warikal, the rebels also seized the roads connecting the four states to the east of the country, blocking the army’s position. It will also be located within 250 miles of Kisangani, the fourth largest city in the country.
According to Jambier Kabutova, a resident of Warikal, the shooting rang out from near the Nyabangi area on Wednesday. Army sources said the rebels were fighting soldiers and government militias after overturning the position of military forces outside the town in a surprising attack.
“Information has been confirmed. The rebels can be seen at the monument and at the Bax group office,” said Prince Kihangi, a former member of the Warikal, referring to the location in the town centre.
Heavy artillery fire was heard Wednesday, but stopped in the evening and gave way to sporadic shootings, said Fiston Misona, a civil society activist in Walikal. “Our Congolese forces are no longer fighting,” he said. “It’s as if we were sacrificed.”
M23 captured Goma, the largest city in North Kivu, in late January. They then began moving south towards Bukabu, the second largest city in the region.
Since January, more than 7,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been uprooted from their homes. This lasted for decades and has its roots in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. It’s the worst escalation in over a decade.
Supported by Rwanda, the M23 is one of dozens of armed groups fighting the Congolese forces to raise territorial profits in the DRC mineral-rich eastern province. Their objective is to protect the interests of Konge’s Tutsi and other minority groups, including protecting them from Hutu rebel groups who fled to the DRC after joining the genocide. The DRC, the US and other countries say Rwanda is supporting the M23 to utilize the region’s mineral resources.
Walikale’s collapse led to DRC president Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame meeting in Qatar for their first in-person meeting since January, calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
The DRC and M23 were expected to hold their first in-person meeting in Angola on Tuesday after the Tshiseekedi government refused to speak to rebels, but M23 withdrew from consultations on Monday citing EU sanctions against its leaders and Rwandan officials.
AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
