Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have withdrawn from the strategic town of Walikale, describing the move as a goodwill gesture ahead of planned peace talks with the government next week.
M23 has seized eastern Congo's two largest cities in a swift advance since January that has resulted in thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.
The fighting has raised fears of a wider regional war, as Congo's neighbours Uganda and Burundi also have troops in the region.
Congo's government and M23 plan to hold their first direct talks in Doha on April 9, sources from both camps told Reuters this week.
Situated along a road linking four eastern Congo provinces, Walikale is in an area rich in minerals including tin.
M23 pledged to withdraw from Walikale last month but initially failed to do so, accusing the Congolese army of going back on its own commitments and not withdrawing attack drones.
Two residents and a local official confirmed to Reuters this week that they had left the town. Army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge told Reuters on Friday that Congolese troops were there, confirming M23 soldiers had left.
"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 said this week that civilians, along with its own teams, had been trapped by the violence in Walikale and that essential medical supplies would soon run out there.
The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to the ethnic Tutsi-led M23.
Rwanda has denied backing M23 and says its military has acted in self-defence against Congo's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.
Thomas Lubanga, a convicted war criminal, has announced the formation of the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR) in eastern Congo's Ituri province, posing a new security threat as Congo's army faces advances by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
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In an effort to rejuvenate peace talks surrounding the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, Southern and Eastern African countries have expanded their team of former heads of state overseeing the mediation process.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have announced plans to reposition their forces from the town of Walikale, which they seized earlier this week, in an effort to support broader initiatives aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa rejects a ceasefire call in east Congo, vowing to fight until their cause is heard. He condemns a proposed U.S. minerals-for-security deal as "treachery" while M23 fighters advance deeper into Congolese territory, seizing strategic towns.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to pause reciprocal tariffs, highlighting the importance of stability for trade and supply chains.
On April 11, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the CIS Foreign Ministers Council and the 8th meeting of Russian and Central Asian foreign ministers—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Both events will be hosted in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Apple has airlifted 1.5 million iPhones from India to the U.S. to avoid Trump’s steep China tariffs, using chartered flights and fast-tracked customs clearance in Chennai as it boosts Indian production and shifts its global supply chain.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting to address the worsening global market situation amid the collapse of energy and commodity prices on global markets due to tariff conflicts, the presidential press service said.
Tesla shares soared nearly 23% after President Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for over 75 nation, excluding China, boosting investor confidence and lifting the EV giant’s market value to $852.9 billion amid a volatile trading year.
A former Meta executive, Sarah Wynn-Williams, testified before U.S. senators on Wednesday, alleging that the company compromised national security to build a lucrative business in China.
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