Congo rebels dismiss ceasefire calls, capture strategic town

M23 rebels

Members of the M23 rebel group in Goma, North Kivu province, on January 30, 2025. 

Photo credit: File | Reuters

The leader of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo said on Thursday that a call by Kinshasa and Kigali for an immediate ceasefire “doesn’t concern us” as his forces pushed deeper into Congolese territory by capturing the strategic town of Walikale.

Walikale is the farthest west the rebels have reached after fighting on Wednesday with Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and allied militias.