DRC: M23 rebels seize new town near border with Uganda as talks drag

M23 rebels continue to gain ground in eastern DRC.

The group who is reportedly backed by Rwanda seized Sunday (Nov. 03) the strategic town of Kamandi Gîte, according to media reports.

Kamandi Gîte is located on the banks of Lake Edward and offer a connexion to the city of Beni.

Local media cited sources on the ground to report that forced displacement were observed in the wake of the town's fall to the hands of the rebels.

M23 rebels faced self-defence fighters known as Wezalendo or patriots who are allied with the DRC's armed forces.

The fresh fighting comes when experts from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to dialogue within the framework of the Luanda process.

Angola plays the role of a mediator between the neighbours.

A meeting is scheduled on November 16.

Rwanda and DRC have reportedly agreed on a plan which includes the disengagement of military forces and the neutralization of the FDLR, which included in its ranks fighters who carried out the 1994 Rwanda genocide.