M23 rebels rain on cease-fire parade with Walikale seizure in DRC

In a stunning blow to cease-fire hopes, the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the mineral-rich town of Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) late Wednesday, marking their deepest incursion yet into the country’s heartland, local sources revealed Thursday.

The capture of the mining hub, home to about 60,000 people, underscores the group’s boldest advance since its 2012 emergence, shattering fragile optimism sparked just a day earlier when Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame met unexpectedly in Doha, voicing support for peace.

Yet, with Qatar’s mediators cautioning that truce terms remain elusive, the rebels’ lightning strike – far west of their usual territory – casts a dark shadow over the region’s faltering path to calm.

“Walikale-Centre is occupied by the M23. … We retreated to avoid human losses,” an officer in DRC’s military, known as FARDC, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), saying its forces were now about 30 kilometers (18 miles) away in Mubi.

A separate security source confirmed the capture and said fighting also erupted in Mubi on Thursday.

The offensive had already forced mining company Alphamin this month to evacuate employees and halt operations at the world’s third-most productive tin mine.

The Bisie site, which produces the tin ore cassiterite, is located in the Walikale district of North Kivu province.

The halt in mining drove up tin prices, raising concerns over the supply chain of the valuable metal used to solder electronic components onto circuit boards.

Booming demand from the electronics and renewable energy sectors has fueled its value, analysts say.

The region also hosts several gold mines.

The M23 fighters “are in the neighborhoods of Walikale,” Fiston Misona, a civil society representative from the community, said early Thursday.

Another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they saw groups of armed fighters “through the windows” of their home.

A Doctors Without Borders base was “caught in the crossfire” during the fighting, but no injuries were reported, local official Marco Doneda said.

“The MSF team is concerned about the influx of those wounded in the coming days and hours,” he added.