M23 rebels capture key town in eastern DR Congo, local official says

NEWS WIRES

5 January 2025 at 1:48 am·1-min read

Congolese soldiers dig trenches at a frontline position above the town of Kibirizi, controlled by the M23 rebellion, in DR Congo's North Kivu province, on May 14, 2024.

M23 rebels on Saturday captured the key town of Masisi in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a lawmaker from the restive North Kivu province has said, warning of “a serious humanitarian crisis” in the region.

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control on Saturday of a key town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a number of sources told AFP.

The March 23 Movement (M23), a militia supported by neighbouring Rwanda and its army, has seized vast swathes of the east of the DRC since 2021, displacing thousands and triggering a humanitarian crisis.

Angola-mediated talks between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame were abruptly cancelled in mid-December over disagreements on the terms of a proposed peace deal.

“It is with dismay that we learn of the capture of Masisi centre by the M23,” Alexis Bahunga, deputy of the North Kivu province, where the town is located, told AFP Saturday.

Masisi, with a population of around 40,000, is the administrative capital of the Masisi territory, rich in agriculture, livestock and minerals.

It lies about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the North Kivu provincial capital Goma.

(AFP)

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