DR Congo crisis: Walikale and murderous militia strongholds are taken by M23 rebels, according to reports

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) uprising has persisted despite Western sanctions, according to reports, taking control of the town of Walikale in North Kivu Province late on Wednesday, March 19.

The hamlet of Walikale, located in an area rich in minerals like tin, is roughly 130 kilometers northwest of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, which was taken over by the rebels on January 27. The rebels’ swift progress this year has brought them the farthest west yet.

The FDLR, a terrorist organization located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has long held sway over Walikale. It was established in the middle of the 2000s by the surviving leaders of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.

Despite the fact that the group’s members have been incorporated into the ranks of the Congolese army, particularly in the elite presidential guard brigade, the government continues to downplay the existential threat posed by the genocidal militia, whose deadly ideology has wreaked havoc throughout the nation and the Great Lakes region.

Rich in minerals, including as cassiterite, which is processed elsewhere to make tin, Walikale serves as a crucial economic center for the Rwandan genocidal force. Many genocide fugitives are thought to have flourished in the area where Gaston Iyamuremye, the president of the murderous militia and Byiringiro Victor Rumuli, now 77, had his primary base. Others were compelled to flee, going in different ways farther inland, while others might have been taken due to the rebel push in the area.

Tshopo Province and Maniema Province to the west, Lubero territory to the north, Rutshuru territory and Masisi territory to the east, and South Kivu Province to the south encircle Walikale territory, the province’s largest territory.

Using their own system of administration, the murderous militia reportedly controlled primarily remote forests and gold, coltan, and cassiterite mining locations that were manually and illegally exploited.

Due to the rebel advance, the mining company Alphamin Resources (AFM.V), based in Mauritius, said last week that it was temporarily closing its Bisie tin mine, which is located roughly 60 kilometers northwest of Walikale.

“The Company will closely monitor events as they progress with a view to moving personnel back to the mine site and resuming operations when it believes it can safely do so,” the statement said in an excerpt. Additional updates will be given by the company when they are suitable.

The company, which is primarily owned by US companies, has hired a US consultancy to advocate for US diplomatic action in response to these security issues. The situation is getting better.

In 2021, the Congolese army coalition and M23 rebels began their most recent battle.

Since December 2023, M23 has been a part of the Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), a bigger and ever expanding rebel coalition.

Up to 100 young people from Bweremana, in the Bahunde chiefdom of Masisi area, “expressed their desire to join” the rebel movement on Tuesday, March 17, after the new leaders of North Kivu Province ran an awareness-raising campaign.

Fighting the AFC/M23 rebels has exacerbated the security situation due to a large Congolese army coalition that includes hundreds of European mercenaries, the Rwandan genocidal militia, a group of Congolese militias known as Wazalendo, thousands of Burundian troops, South African-led SADC forces, and UN peacekeepers.

Alliance fleuve Congo, led by Corneille Nangaa, a former head of the Congolese national electoral commission, is fighting for governance that upholds fundamental human rights, protects all Congolese residents, and tackles the underlying causes of conflict. Tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and the FDLR’s doctrine of genocide are among the vices that the insurrection has sworn to eradicate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The insurgents swiftly swept through the provinces of North and South Kivu in January, liberating large areas of land.

On January 27, the rebels reestablished order in Goma after intense combat that had been sparked by the Congolese army coalition’s repeated violations of a truce.

Reports of brutality, theft, and atrocities spread by the Congolese army coalition caused the security situation in South Kivu to worsen. In response, the rebels once more attacked, seizing the important airfield of Kavumu before advancing south to seize the regional capital, Bukavu, on February 15.

The rebels announced Monday that they had withdrawn from direct peace talks with the Congolese government that had been scheduled for March 18 in Luanda, the capital of Angola. They cited interference from Western nations, particularly the EU, led by Belgium, and some international organizations, which they claimed were “deliberately working to sabotage peace efforts” in DR Congo and prevent the long-awaited talks.

According to rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, “direct dialogue is seriously compromised and any progress is prevented by the successive sanctions imposed on our members, including those adopted on the eve of the Luanda discussions.”

“The Luanda dialogue, which was supposed to start this Tuesday, March 18, 2025, and bring our organization and the power of Kinshasa around the table, has just been sabotaged by the EU,” stated AFC Executive Secretary Benjamin Mbonimpa. This is where some nations’ nefarious meddling stems from their colonial nostalgia!