DRC: the M23 seizes a town in the east, the army on alert

The March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion has taken control of Kalembe, a strategic town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite a ceasefire in force, confirmed the Congolese army this Sunday.

Kalembe, located in the territory of Walikale, in the province of North Kivu, is at the heart of the clashes provoked by the M23. The city fell into the hands of the rebels after violent fighting, which broke out around 4:00 a.m. local time, between the M23 and the pro-government “Wazalendo” militias, meaning “patriots” in Kiswahili.

Rich in tin mining sites, Kalembe constitutes a nerve point for access to the neighboring provinces of Tshopo, South Kivu and Maniema, offering the M23 an opportunity to extend its influence. The military authorities of North Kivu described this attack as a “provocation” and “sabotage” of the Luanda process, launched in November 2022 by Angola to restore peace in eastern DRC. A ceasefire, negotiated at the end of last July, has been in force since August 4.

For almost three years, the M23 has controlled several localities in North Kivu. In 2024, around 940,000 people will be displaced in the DRC, bringing the total to more than 6.4 million, according to Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He also stressed that the illegal exploitation of natural resources, fueled by local and international companies and arms trafficking, is one of the main causes of conflicts in the east of the country. The DRC faces one of the world’s largest internal displacement crises, with around seven million people displaced, mainly in the east of the country, according to the UN.