GOMA: Rwanda-backed M23 rebels on Friday moved closer to a key town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, capturing a nearby area.

The March 23 Movement, 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.

Sources told AFP Friday that the M23 had taken control of the Katale area _ the last place the rebels must pass before entering Masisi, the administrative capital of the Masisi territory.

“We have been attacked by the rebels... the enemy controls Katale,” a security source said.

“We confirm the capture of Katale by the M23 rebels, for the moment the population has fled towards Masisi centre,” Thierry Muhindo, the head of a locality comprising Katale, said.

Telesphore Mitondeke, Masisi civil society president, said that several deaths in clashes in the area had been reported among the population, although no figures are currently available.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025