M23 rebels take control of key town in eastern DRC

The Tutsi-led rebels, known as M23, took control of Kanyabayonga, a strategic town in the east of the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, where different armed groups operate.

Kanyabayonga has been at the heart of clashes between DRC forces and the M23, since the latter took up arms in 2021.

The M23 fighters were advancing towards the town of Kirumba, in North Kivu province, a key commercial center with more than 120,000 residents.

Following the inroads of M23, president Felix Tshisekedi said “clear and firm instructions have been given for the safeguarding of the territorial integrity of our country,” without giving more details.

The country’s mineral wealth, estimated at $25 trillion, has yet to be tapped into due to corruption and instability in the country’s east, where different rebellions are ongoing, notably that led by the M23 movement.

The DRC, the UN and Western countries accuse Rwanda of supporting rebel groups, including M23, in a bid to control the region’s vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.