The AFC/M23 rebels pressed on with their offensive in eastern DR Congo, capturing the town of Walikale in North Kivu Province, late Wednesday, March 19, reports indicate.
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The town of Walikale which sits about 130 kilometres northwest Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province which the rebels seized on January 27, is in an area rich in minerals including tin.
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Walikale is the farthest west the rebels have reached during their rapid advance this year. The region has, for long, been a stronghold of FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded in mid-2000 by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
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Mauritius-based mining company Alphamin Resources (AFM.V) said last week that it was temporarily halting its Bisie tin mine located about 60 kilometres northwest of Walikale because of the rebel advance.
The latest fighting between the Congolese army coalition and M23 rebels started in 2021.
A vast Congolese army coalition comprising hundreds of European mercenaries, the Rwandan genocidal militia, a group of Congolese militias known as Wazalendo, thousands of Burundian troops, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers, have worsened the security situation while battling the AFC/M23 rebels.
M23 is now part of a larger and continuously growing rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023. Led by Corneille Nangaa, the former chairman of the Congolese national electoral commission (CENI), AFC is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict.
The rebellion has vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.
In January, the rebels quickly advanced across North and South Kivu provinces, liberating swathes of territory.
Following heavy fighting triggered by constant violations by the Congolese army coalition, of an earlier set ceasefire, on January 27, the rebels captured Goma, and restored order there. As the security situation in South Kivu deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition, the rebels again reacted, first capturing the strategic airport of Kavumu, before moving south to capture the regional capital, Bukavu, on February 15.
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ALSO READ: Rwanda civil society warns Western sanctions will 'exacerbate conflict'
On Monday, the rebels withdrew from earlier scheduled direct peace talks with the Congolese government, in the Angolan capital, Luanda, on March 18, citing interference by Western countries - especially from the EU, led by Belgium - and certain international institutions who they accused of "deliberately working to sabotage peace efforts" in DR Congo and make the long-awaited talks impossible.
Rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said: "The successive sanctions imposed on our members, including those adopted on the eve of the Luanda discussions, seriously compromise direct dialogue and prevent any progress."
