The M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have seized control of Nyabibwe town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, despite a recently announced ceasefire.
M23 violated the unilateral deal, which was made on humanitarian grounds barely three days after the rebel group’s spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, said they had no intention of capturing the Bukavu region of the country or other areas.
Congo’s Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya on Wednesday told the newsmen that the group had violated the ceasefire at night and was facing resistance from the armed forces around Nyabibwe.
Eight other people, including local officials and a civil society representative, confirmed that Nyabibwe had fallen to the rebels, revealing that clashes had been ongoing since 5 a.m. and that the town was finally overrun by the rebels around 9 a.m.
Meanwhile, the M23 spokesperson is yet to comment on this development.
This advance could indicate a renewed push towards Bukavu that the M23 first launched after they seized Goma last week.
The capture of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and fanned fears of a wider regional war.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its medical warehouse in Goma had been looted between Jan. 28 and 29 and that it would take months and require large investments to rebuild it.
“To continue caring for the wounded while we wait for our stocks to be replenished, we are being helped by other humanitarian actors in Goma,” the ICRC said in a statement.
In the capital Kinshasa, lawmakers were discussing possible solutions to the conflict ahead of a summit with Eastern and Southern African leaders in Tanzania this weekend, an MP from the presidential coalition said.
“President Tshisekedi has referred to Parliament to get the proposals of elected representatives, which we assume come from the people…He wants to go into the matter with greater legitimacy,” the MP said.
A diplomatic source said one of the areas of dispute with Rwanda was the presence of troops sent by the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The regional bloc, which is helping the Congolese government fight rebel groups, extended its military mission late last year.
“Rwanda wants the SamiDRC (Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo) to leave, Congo wants it to be strengthened. This creates tensions between the countries of East and Southern Africa,” the diplomat said.
