Congo rebels leave strategic town ahead of planned Doha talks

M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, have exited the key town of Walikale in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, labeling the decision as a gesture of goodwill prior to scheduled peace negotiations with the government next week.

Since January, M23 has rapidly taken control of the two largest cities in eastern Congo, leading to thousands of fatalities and displacing hundreds of thousands from their residences.

The conflict has sparked concerns about a larger regional war, given that Uganda and Burundi, Congo’s neighbors, also have military presence in the area. Sources from both sides informed Reuters that Congo’s government and M23 intend to engage in their initial direct discussions in Doha on April 9.

Located along a roadway connecting four provinces in eastern Congo, Walikale is found in a mineral-rich region that includes tin. Last month, M23 promised to pull out from Walikale but initially did not follow through, claiming that the Congolese army had reneged on its promises and had not withdrawn its attack drones.

This week, two residents and a local official told Reuters that they had departed from the town. On Friday, army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge confirmed the presence of Congolese troops, stating that M23 soldiers had departed.

“If the forces of the Kinshasa regime continue their provocations or attacks on civilians in the liberated areas and on our positions, this gesture of goodwill will automatically be cancelled, and we will eliminate the threat at its source,” Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the rebel alliance that includes M23, said in a statement on X on Thursday.

Doctors Without Borders reported this week that civilians, as well as its own staff, had become trapped by the violence in Walikale and that crucial medical supplies would soon be depleted there.

The United Nations and Western nations claim Rwanda has supplied weapons and soldiers to the Tutsi-led M23. Rwanda refutes supporting M23 and asserts its military has responded in self-defense against Congo’s military and a militia established by those responsible for the 1994 genocide.