Latest News

M23 rebels take Congolese town of Kalembe, authorities say

The M23 rebel group has seized the town of Kalembe in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, expanding its reach in the area, an authorities and a. previous legislator stated on Monday.

The Tutsi-led M23 has actually been waging an insurgency in the. central African nation's violence-torn east given that 2022. Congo. and the United Nations implicate neighbouring Rwanda of backing the. group with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this however. states it has actually taken so-called defensive measures.

Rebels had been stationed 10km from Kalembe for almost 8. months before they took control of the town on Sunday morning. from the Congolese militaries and the Wazalendo alliance of. armed groups devoted to the government, Kabaki Alimasi, an. official from Walikale territory where Kalembe is located, told. Reuters.

While combating did not target the local civilian population,. lots of felt hazardous and moved to the town of Pinga in Walikale. after the attack, the local official included.

The Congolese army did not right away respond to a request. for remark.

Previous legislator and Walikale resident Juvenal Munobo likewise. stated Kalembe had fallen under M23 control and informed Reuters that. the rebels had an interest in the location's cash cow.

The majority of Congo's substantial mineral wealth is discovered. in its eastern provinces. M23 has actually been making hundreds of. countless dollars a month from minerals smuggled unlawfully. from territory it has taken, the United Nations said in. September.

Our company believe that the M23 also wish to show up the heat in. anticipation of the upcoming exchanges, Munobo said, referring. to settlements in between Congo and Rwanda in the Angolan capital. Luanda which belong to a long-running effort to curb the. battling.

The dispute has deepened a humanitarian crisis in. militia-plagued North Kivu province, where around 2.6 million. people were displaced since end-September, according to the U.N. help firm OCHA.

(source: Reuters)