NEWS- The M23 rebels have seized a strategic Eastern Town of Masisi near the Provincial capital Goma as they advance in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Tutsi-led M23 group has been waging a renewed insurgency in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since 2022, where Congo and the United Nations accuse neighboring Rwanda of backing the group with its own troops and weapons, but Rwanda says it has taken what it calls defensive measures.
The Provincial Member of Parliament Alexis Bahunga told journalists today morning that fghting has flared in recent weeks, leading to territorial gains for M23, which is now in control of Masisi, a town and local administrative center about 80 km from Goma, but said that the government will take measures to restore state authority over the entire territory.
The town of Masisi is a rich, mountainous location that provides access to the provincial capital of Goma and is local administrative centre located about 80km from the major city of Goma.
Another Parliamentary Deputy, Jean-Pierre Ayobangira Safari, said Masisi had been taken for now and it is in hands of M23 rebels, which has forced millions of people to flee.
The leader of the antigovernment Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the March 23 Movement (M23), Corneille Nangaa, said the rebel forces had reached the centre of Masisi by mid-afternoon yesterday morning.
Local sources reported that thousands have been displaced as a result of the fighting and are now seeking shelter in neighbouring areas including Goma, which already hosts 4 million displaced people and the United Nations said that nearly a million people fled their homes last year because of the conflict.
“The security situation remains very tense in the city of Masisi a day after the rebels managed to capture this strategic area, the second-largest territory taken from the government forces,” Nangaa told journalists from a location Goma.
President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi Thilombo is still maintaining his position that there will not be any direct dialogue with the M23 group and instead wants dilect talks with Rwanda President Paul Kagame.
The Democratic Republic of Congo accuses Rwanda of backing M23, a claim that Kigali has vehemenntly rejected and Angola-mediated talks between President Tshisekedi and Kagame were late last year abruptly cancelled over disagreements on the terms of a proposed peace deal.
M23, which emerged more than a decade ago and has been launching deadly attacks for years, is primarily based in North Kivu province, which is rich in resources and it’s leaders are mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group, who say one of their goals is to defend themselves against Hutu-led forces who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.
Their seizure of vast swaths of territory in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and years of armed attacks have triggered a humanitarian crisis that has afflicted millions.
Masisi, with an estimated population of about 40,000, is the administrative capital of the Masisi territory, rich in agriculture, livestock and minerals and its capture represents a huge gain for M23 and raises government concerns about a potential threat to nearby political and commercial centres like Goma and Bukavu.
Additional Reporting from Al Jazeera Africa News.
