KEY POINTS
- M23 rebels seize control of Kalembe, a key town in eastern Congo.
- The town’s gold mines make it a strategic asset for the rebel group.
- The ongoing conflict worsens the humanitarian crisis, displacing millions in the region.
According to local officials and a former congressman, the M23 rebel organization has taken control of the town of Kalembe in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As the rebel organization continues their insurgency, which has been going on since 2022, the takeover represents a major extension of their power in the area.
With assistance from neighboring Rwanda, the Tutsi-led militia known as the M23 has been charged with destabilizing the area.
Rwanda has denied the Congolese government’s and the UN’s repeated accusations that it provides troops and weapons to the rebel group.
Nonetheless, Kigali acknowledges using alleged “defensive measures” to safeguard its border interests.
Rebels secure Kalembe after months of tension
Kalembe, located in Walikale territory, had been under the threat of rebel control for several months. Local official Kabaki Alimasi reported that M23 forces, who had been stationed about 10 kilometers away, seized the town on Sunday.
The Congolese army, which had been defending the area alongside a government-aligned militia called the Wazalendo alliance, retreated, allowing the rebels to capture the town without resistance.
Despite the loss of Kalembe, officials confirmed that the fighting did not directly target the local civilian population. However, fear of violence prompted many residents to flee the area, with many seeking refuge in the nearby town of Pinga, also located in Walikale.
The Congolese military has not yet issued an official statement regarding the fall of Kalembe, and it remains unclear whether they will attempt to retake the town in the coming days.
M23’s interest in Kalembe tied to gold mines
Former local politician Juvenal Munobo claims that M23’s hold over Kalembe is strategically important because of the region’s abundant gold reserves. The abundance of minerals in the Eastern Congo, such as gold, coltan, and cobalt, has long been a cause of violence and illicit smuggling.
M23 has been making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month from smuggling operations in regions it controls, according to a recent UN assessment that revealed the rebel group has been benefiting from the illegal mineral trade.
According to Munobo, the seizure of Kalembe might be a component of M23’s larger plan to seize control of the area’s mineral resources, especially in advance of future peace negotiations.
“We believe that the M23 also want to turn up the heat in anticipation of the upcoming exchanges,” Munobo told Reuters, referring to negotiations between Congo and Rwanda scheduled to take place in Luanda, Angola. The talks are part of a long-standing effort to bring an end to the violence in the region.
The conflict between M23 and government forces has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in North Kivu province, where millions of people have been displaced by years of fighting.
