“Rebels control strategically important city in eastern Congo”

Masisi, the administrative capital of the region, is located about 80 kilometers north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. From the city a road leads to the interior of Congo.

The rebels are said to have entered the city around 2 p.m. local time, a resident told AFP. “They told us they are coming to liberate the country.” Many residents took shelter in hospitals to flee gunfire, hospital sources said.

Since November 2021, M23 has managed to gain a lot of ground in eastern Congo, an area rich in raw materials, but also the site of violence for several decades. Fighting flared up at the end of December last year after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda, Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, canceled a joint peace summit at the last minute.