M23 rebel fighters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have taken control of a strategic town in the east of the Central African country, local politicians say, adding to the armed group’s recent gains in the region.
The group took control of Masisi, a town and local administrative centre about 80km (50 miles) from the major city of Goma, on Saturday, provincial parliament member Alexis Bahunga told the Reuters news agency on Sunday.
“The government will take measures to restore state authority over the entire territory,” he said.
Another parliamentary deputy, Jean-Pierre Ayobangira Safari, said Masisi had been taken “for now”.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the antigovernment Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the March 23 Movement (M23), said rebel forces had reached the centre of Masisi by mid-afternoon on Saturday.
Local sources reported that thousands have been displaced as a result of the fighting and are now seeking shelter in neighbouring areas including Goma, which already hosts four million displaced people, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said.
“The security situation remains very tense in the city of Masisi a day after the rebels managed to capture this strategic area, the second-largest territory [taken] from the government forces,” he said from Goma.
“President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi is still maintaining his position that there will not be any direct dialogue [with the group].”
The United Nations says nearly a million people fled their homes last year because of the conflict.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing M23, a claim that Kigali rejects. Angola-mediated talks between the presidents of the two countries were abruptly cancelled in mid-December over disagreements on the terms of a proposed peace deal.
M23, which emerged more than a decade ago and has been launching deadly attacks for years, is primarily based in North Kivu province, which is rich in resources.
Its leaders are mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group, who say one of their goals is to defend themselves against Hutu-led forces who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.
Their seizure of vast swaths of territory in eastern DRC and years of armed attacks have triggered a humanitarian crisis that has afflicted millions.
Masisi, with an estimated population of about 40,000, is the administrative capital of the Masisi territory, rich in agriculture, livestock and minerals.