M23 pushes into DRC

More towns falling into hands of rebels as president issues 'firm, clear instructions'.

- Kanyabayonga

The M23 militia group continued to gain ground in the war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with more towns falling into the hands of the rebels, said a source yesterday.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group which has seized swathes of eastern DRC in an ongoing offensive launched in 2021 - something Kigali denies.

Yesterday, the M23 [March 23 Movement] moved into the town of Kirumba, in North Kivu province, which has been rocked by violence since 2021 when the group resumed its armed campaign in the region.

Kirumba is the biggest town in the south of the Lubero territory, where the group has been advancing, and a big commercial centre with more than 120 000 residents.

"We regret that the large entity [the town] has since yesterday evening been in the hands of the M23," said a local official who did not want to be named.

He said the group was heading north from the town.