According to reports, M23 rebels took control of a major town in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Uganda without fighting, as reported by local sources.
With Rwanda’s backing, the M23, which had been inactive for approximately ten years, attacked the North Kivu province in eastern DRC towards the end of 2021 and subsequently gained control over extensive areas of territory.
The takeover of Nyamilima in the east occurred on the final day of a “humanitarian truce” declared by the United States on July 5.
“The M23 rebels arrived here in Nyamilima around 3:00 pm (1300 GMT). There was no fighting. The Wazalendo (‘patriots’, pro-government militias) withdrew.
“The population welcomed them. At first, we were afraid of clashes between the two forces, but glory be to God, the Wazalendo have withdrawn to the fields,” Harerimana Jacques, a resident of Nyamilima, told AFP.
Armed with at least two jeeps, an armoured vehicle and sophisticated weapons, “the M23 arrived without fighting” in the town and “settled in the former FARDC (Congolese army) position”, said local official Cesar Ndisanze.
The eastern region of the DRC, abundant in minerals, has experienced 30 years of conflict involving local and foreign armed factions stemming from the regional conflicts of the 1990s.