Summary:
Walikale is home to the largest tin deposits in the Congo, along with significant gold mines. The rebels entered the mining hub on Wednesday, a day after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame called for an immediate ceasefire following their meeting in Doha, Qatar.
GOMA: The M23 rebels have captured the town of Walikale, the capital of Walikale Territory in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite growing international calls for a ceasefire.
Walikale is home to the largest tin deposits in the Congo, along with significant gold mines. The rebels entered the mining hub on Wednesday, a day after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame called for an immediate ceasefire following their meeting in Doha, Qatar.
The spokesperson for the M23 rebels, Lawrence Kanyuka, confirmed the capture of Walikale in a press statement on Thursday. He stated that the M23 rebels seized the town to ensure the safety of the civilian population and their property.
“We hereby confirm that the city of Walikale, the administrative center of Walikale Territory, has been liberated by our forces to ensure the safety of the civilian population and their property,” Kanyuka declared.
He strongly condemned what he described as the warmongering agenda of the Kinshasa regime, accusing it of disregarding international resolutions aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the DRC. He also accused the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) of indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, livestock, villages, and M23 positions using fighter jets and heavy artillery.
“Faced with these criminal threats, our movement had no choice but to intervene to rescue our compatriots, who for two weeks had been subjected to ground and air attacks by the Kinshasa regime using Sukhoi-25 fighter jets and CH-4 combat drones,” he noted.
Kanyuka reaffirmed M23’s commitment to the ceasefire but warned that any provocation or attacks against civilians would be met with a professional response in full accordance with international humanitarian law.
Earlier this month, M23 captured Nyabiondo, 110 km (68 miles) northwest of Goma, after days of intense fighting with government forces and pro-government militias. In February, the group seized Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province.
The ongoing offensive has already affected the mining sector. Earlier this month, mining company Alphamin evacuated its employees and halted operations at its Bisie mine, the world’s third-largest tin ore cassiterite mine, located in Walikale district. The region is also home to several gold mines.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries and international powers have intensified diplomatic efforts to halt what has become eastern DRC’s worst conflict since the 1998-2003 war, which involved multiple neighboring nations.
The DRC and M23 were expected to hold their first direct talks on Tuesday in Angola. However, M23 pulled out of the negotiations on Monday, citing European Union sanctions against some of its leaders and Rwandan officials as a key reason for their withdrawal.
