DR Congo : M23 Grabs Key Eastern Town

After recent fruitless efforts in Luanda (Angola) by the international community to bring peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda-backed rebel group known as March 23 Movement (M23), on January 4, 2025 stepped up her offensive by seizing control of the City of Masisi, a key town in eastern DRC. Prior to Saturday’s capture, the M23 had seized vast swathes in the east of the DRC since 2021, displacing thousands and triggering a humanitarian crisis. In mid-December, Angola-mediated talks between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame were abruptly canceled over disagreements on the terms of a proposed peace deal. “It is with dismay that we learn of the capture of Masisi center by the M23," Alexis Bahunga, deputy of the North Kivu province, where the town is located, declared Saturday.
The capture of the town of Masisi “plunges the territory into a serious humanitarian crisis... we ask the government to consider holistic measures aimed at strengthening the logical and operational capacity of the FARDC (Congolese army),” added Bahunga. Le Monde, reports that after the capture of Masisi, the rebels held a meeting at a Parish, where they told residents that they have “come to liberate the country”.  AFP added that, since the entry of rebels, the center of the town has been &ld...