M23 rebels remain in eastern town

GOMA: The M23 armed group on Sunday was keeping hold of the town of Walikale which it recently captured in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite announcing it planned to withdraw to further peace talks.

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The Rwanda-backed outfit announced on Saturday that it was “repositioning its forces” outside the outskirts of Walikale to help create the right conditions for “peace and political dialogue”

At the same time, it said it would not allow government troops to return to the town, which is home to about 60,000 people, and warned that “any provocation or attack... will lead to an automatic cancellation of this decision”.

Walikale is the M23’s further advance westward in the DRC since it emerged in 2012.

On Saturday evening, Congolese soldiers said they would “observe with vigilance” the withdrawal and refrain from any offensive action, urging pro-government local militia to do the same “to encourage de-escalation”.

“We're obviously going to see if the M23 withdraws from Walikale and if it will prioritise dialogue” DR Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba was quoted as saying by Congolese media.