M23 group seizes key town in eastern DR Congo: security sources

Soldiers from the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and soldiers from the 214th DP Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo walk in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 17, 2024.[AFP]

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has taken control of the key mining hub of Walikale in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest territory seized in its advance in the country's east, security and local sources said Thursday.

The seizure of the town of around 60,000 people marks the farthest west the anti-government group has advanced into the DRC's interior since it emerged in 2012.