Congolese rebels reject demands for a ceasefire and seize a key town

The leader of the M23 rebels in eastern Congo, who are backed by Rwanda, stated Thursday that the demand for an immediate ceasefire from Kinshasa and Kigali “doesn’t concern us” as his forces advanced farther into Congolese territory by seizing the vital town of Walikale.

After engaging in combat with the army and affiliated militias of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, the rebels had advanced as far west as Walikale.

The town, which has a population of roughly 15,000, is located in a mineral-rich region that includes tin. After capturing it, the rebels take control of a road that connects four provinces in the eastern Congo and is located 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Kisangani, the country’s fourth-largest metropolis.

According to two M23 sources and three Walikale locals, the rebels have complete control of the town. Requests for comment from the Congolese army were not answered.

“The rebels are now visible in the center of the city,” civil society activist Fiston Misona stated. “There are at least seven people wounded who are at the general hospital.”

Following a surprising meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan colleague Paul Kagame demanded an urgent ceasefire. This was their first direct encounter since M23 intensified its onslaught in January.

The M23 alliance’s leader, however, rejected the plea, claiming that his troops were not engaged in combat at Rwanda’s request.

“We are Congolese who are fighting for a cause,” Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), told Reuters during an interview in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo.

“What happened in Doha, as long as we don’t know the details, and as long as it doesn’t solve our problems, we’ll say it doesn’t concern us.”

WILL KINSHASA AND M23 HAVE DIRECT CONVERSATIONS?

Due to rivalry for mineral resources and the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, the conflict has swiftly grown to be the worst in eastern Congo since a war that raged from 1998 to 2003 and attracted several neighboring nations.

Goma and Bukavu, the two biggest cities in eastern Congo, have been taken by the rebels since January, and they have frequently defeated Congolese forces in combat.

According to the UN, Western nations, and independent experts, Rwanda has been supplying troops and weapons to the M23, which is led by ethnic Tutsis.

Rwanda has denied supporting M23 and claims that its troops have been defending themselves against the Congolese army and a militia that was established by some of the genocide’s perpetrators.

Following Tshisekedi’s government’s reversal of its long-standing stance against speaking to the rebels, Congo and M23 were scheduled to hold their first direct negotiations in Angola on Tuesday.

However, M23 withdrew on Monday, citing sanctions imposed by the European Union on some of its commanders and Rwandan officials.

According to analysts, the action demonstrated the rebels’ sense of strength following their victories on the battlefield.

Despite this, Nangaa reaffirmed calls for direct negotiations with Kinshasa, claiming that this was the only way to end the crisis. M23 has demanded better national government and an end to what it claims is Tutsi persecution in Congo.

“We demand that if there is a dialogue, it be a direct dialogue,” he stated. “We are keen on any peaceful solution.”