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 took control of the North Kivu mining town a day after Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame called for an ‘immediate and unconditional’ ceasefire. Here is a map and breakdown of the M23’s advance in eastern Congo.