Eastern DRC on Edge as M23 Rebels Capture Vital Mining Center

March 22, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

The town in North Kivu province marks the westernmost point reached by the M23 rebels since their advance began in January, having captured a key mining hub in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite calls for an immediate ceasefire from the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC.

A spokesperson for the Congolese army confirmed that M23 controls Walikale, while another officer reported their forces were approximately 20 miles away in Mubi. Walikale is significant for its large tin deposits and important gold mines, with tin widely utilised in various industries, including food packaging and electronics. By taking Walikale, the rebels have also secured a road that connects four eastern provinces, isolating army positions and bringing them within 250 miles of Kisangani, the country’s fourth-largest city.

On Wednesday, gunfire was reported in the Nyabangi neighbourhood, according to resident Janvier Kabutwa. An army source indicated that the rebels were engaged in combat with soldiers and pro-government militias after launching a surprise attack on an army position outside the town. Former provincial official Prince Kihangi noted the rebels’ visibility at key locations in the town center. Heavy artillery was heard throughout Wednesday, subsiding in the evening to sporadic gunfire, as civil society activist Fiston Misona stated that the Congolese army seemed to have ceased fighting, suggesting a sense of abandonment.

M23 captured Goma, North Kivu’s largest city, in late January and then advanced south toward Bukavu, the region’s second-largest city. Since January, over 7,000 people have died, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the latest round of conflict, rooted in the historical backdrop of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and marking the worst escalation in over a decade. M23, supported by Rwanda, is one of many armed groups vying for control in the mineral-rich eastern provinces, claiming to protect Congolese Tutsi and other minorities from Hutu rebel groups. The DRC and the US accuse Rwanda of backing M23 to exploit local resources.

The capture of Walikale occurred just a day after DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame held direct talks in Qatar, where they called for an immediate ceasefire. Although direct negotiations between the DRC and M23 were anticipated to occur in Angola, M23 withdrew from those discussions, citing EU sanctions against some of its leaders and Rwandan officials.