Ceasefire in east Congo appears to crumble as rebels take another town
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized a mining town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province in an apparent violation of a ceasefire.
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized control of a mining town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, eight sources said on Wednesday, in an apparent violation of a unilateral ceasefire they declared this week.
The capture of Nyabibwe on Lake Kivu takes the rebels a step closer to the provincial capital Bukavu some 40 miles south, a city the rebels said last week they had no intention of capturing. M23 announced a ceasefire on Monday.
Eight people, including local officials, a civil society representative, rebels and an international security source, confirmed Nyabibwe had fallen to the rebels.
“They’re in the centre of the town at the moment,” said the civil society leader, who like the other sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
Nyabibwe, where mines produce gold, coltan and other metals, is a commercial hub more than halfway between Goma, the capital of North Kivu province that the rebels took last week, and Bukavu.
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