The M23 rebel group have captured areas of Kalembe in the Walikale territory, North Kivu. The capturing of these cities makes a 5th territory of the province for the rebel group.
The capturing has proceeded despite the peace talks which are going on and are aimed at stabilizing the region.
Previously M23 had conquered and influenced over four of North Kivu’s six territories—Rutshuru, Masisi, Nyiragongo, and Lubero.
With the recent capture of Kalembe, the group is now poised at the brink of Beni, potentially threatening further incursions into neighboring provinces.
On Sunday, October 20, 2024, intense fighting erupted between M23 and rival armed groups, notably the Nyatura APCLS and the NDC-R, which are backed by the Congolese government.
The conflict resulted into M23’s successfully takeover of Kalembe, a vital gateway that connects North Kivu to South Kivu, Maniema, and Tshopo provinces.
Willy Mishiki, the MP for Walikale, emphasized the strategic importance of Kalembe, stating, “This war has changed its face today… Kalembe is the last place to enter the provinces of Tshopo, South Kivu, and Maniema, which raises the risk of further encroachments into other areas of the country.”
The ongoing violence has resulted in mass displacement, with many residents of Kalembe fleeing to border areas such as Malemo, Kashuga, and Ihula.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, as families are forced to abandon their homes amidst escalating conflict.
UN Special Envoy to the Region, Huang Xia, recently said the situation in DRC had remained “alarming” amid ongoing violence in the restive country’s east.
In a briefing to the Security Council on October 8, Xia said, “It is the civilian population who will continue to bear the heavy toll of war daily: loss of life, sexual violence, health problems and malnutrition in displacement camps.”
The violence is driven by both the M23 armed group which continues to expand its territory and the so-called Allied Democratic Forces (AFD) whose “terrorist links” and attacks against civilians in Ituri and North Kivu threaten the region, according to Mr. Xia
DRC is now the country which has the second highest number of displaced persons, after Sudan.
Rwanda has been accused of supporting the M23 rebellion, a claim Kigali denies. However, UN investigators have since provided satellite photographs confirming Rwanda’s deployment of troops and modern equipment in North Kivu.
The current peace talks (Luanda Process) aimed at resolving the M23 conflict have since come under increasing scrutiny, with calls for a reevaluation of strategies to address the rebel group’s resurgence and the implications for regional stability.
The Luanda process is a regional initiative under the leadership of Angolan President João Lourenço that aims to de-escalate tensions between the DRC and Rwanda.
While appearing at the Rebranding Africa Forum recently in Brussels, DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa said that for the first time Rwanda had agreed to present a withdrawal plan for more than 4,000 soldiers from North Kivu.
Suminwa said this represented a “significant step forward in resolving the conflict between the two countries.”
However, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe refuted the claim, saying, “With all due respect to Madam Prime Minister Suminwa, her ministers provided her with incorrect information.”
The Rwandan Minister emphasised: “Rwanda has never, in Luanda or elsewhere, ‘agreed to present a withdrawal plan for more than 4,000 soldiers’. And for good reason, this is a baseless accusation, and this ‘commitment’ by Rwanda does not appear anywhere in the minutes of the 5th ministerial meeting held in Luanda on October 12, 2024.”
