M23 rebels take DRC town near border with Uganda

Majority-tutsi armed group, M23 rebels, captured Ishasha, a border town in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo near Uganda, dealing a blow to a fragile ceasefire between DRC and Rwanda.

M23 entered the border town the same day a cease-fire between DRC and Rwanda was beginning. DRC accuses Rwanda of arming M23.

The rebels have taken large parts in the mineral-rich east DRC since they have launched their offensive in 2021.

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.