The rebel group rose to prominence a decade ago when its fighters seized Goma, which borders Rwanda. It derives its name from a March 23, 2009, peace deal it accuses the Congolese government of not implementing. After lying largely dormant for a decade, M23 resurfaced in late 2021 and has since captured wide swathes of territory in eastern Congo.

The Tutsi-led group has been waging a renewed insurgency since 2022; the captured town is near the provincial capital Goma

Civil society and a local politician say rebels with the M23 group have seized two key towns in eastern Congo as they advance in the volatile region.

The town of Masisi is in a rich, mountainous location that provides access to the provincial capital of Goma. 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.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels moved closer Friday to a key town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, capturing a nearby area, sources told AFP.

The Tutsi-led M23 group’s recent battlefield successes are reminiscent of the offensive carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other Syrian rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime