Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have entered the centre of the eastern Congo town of Walikale, a local activist and an M23 source said on Thursday, expanding the insurgents' presence deep into the Congolese interior despite renewed calls for a ceasefire.

Rwanda-backed rebels battling Congo’s army have pushed into a strategic, mineral-rich town in the east, ignoring calls for a ceasefire this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents as the M23 rebel group expands its footprint in the conflict-torn African country.

The M23 rebels have captured Walikale, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a day after the Congolese and Rwandan presidents called for a ceasefire following talks in Doha, Qatar. The town, rich in tin and gold deposits,