The M23 rebel group has taken control of Kalembe, a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, further extending its influence in the conflict-ridden region, officials reported on Monday.
M23, a Tutsi-led rebel movement, has been conducting an insurgency in eastern Congo since 2022. Both the Congolese government and the United Nations have accused neighboring Rwanda of providing support to the group through troops and arms—a claim Rwanda denies, though it admits to taking “defensive measures.”
Kalembe was captured by M23 on Sunday after the rebels, who had been stationed 10 kilometers away for eight months, overpowered the Congolese army and the pro-government Wazalendo alliance, according to Kabaki Alimasi, an official from Walikale territory. Although no direct attacks were made on civilians, many locals fled to Pinga in fear of further violence.
Juvenal Munobo, a former lawmaker and Walikale resident, confirmed the town’s fall to M23 and highlighted the rebels’ interest in Kalembe’s gold mines. M23 has reportedly been profiting heavily from the illegal mineral trade in the areas under its control, with the United Nations estimating revenues in the hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly.
Munobo suggested that the takeover might be a strategic move ahead of upcoming negotiations between Congo and Rwanda in Luanda, Angola, aimed at curbing the ongoing violence.
The conflict has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in North Kivu province, where approximately 2.6 million people have been displaced by the end of September, according to the U.N.’s humanitarian agency OCHA.