Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo], March 21: Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have pushed deeper into the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), capturing the town of Walikale despite growing international calls for a ceasefire.
The rebels entered the mining hub in North Kivu province on Wednesday, a day after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame called for an immediate ceasefire after meeting in Qatar's capital Doha.
Nestor Mavudisa, a spokesperson for the Congolese army (FARDC), confirmed on Thursday that "the enemy" now controlled Walikale, located about 400km (250 miles) from Kisangani, the country's fourth-largest city.
Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes M23, dismissed the calls from the leaders of DRC and Rwanda for a ceasefire.
An officer in the Congolese military told the AFP news agency that forces had "retreated to avoid human losses".
Fiston Misona, a civil society activist in Walikale, told the Reuters news agency: "The rebels are now visible in the centre of the city. There are at least seven people wounded who are at the general hospital." The seizure of Walikale marks the farthest west that M23 has advanced into the DRC's interior since it first emerged in 2012.
The town of about 15,000 people sits about 125km (78 miles) northwest of eastern DRC's largest city, Goma, which the M23 rebels seized in January.
Al Jazeera's Alain Uaykani, reporting from Goma, said residents of Walikale confirmed the presence of M23 in the town.
"Thousands of people are already on the road, as a majority of people are trying to take the road towards the neighbouring province of Kisangani, where they can seek shelter," Uaykani said. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
