The Rwanda-backed M23 has said it is committed to a ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo despite its capture of a key town and no-show at peace talks this week. Confirming Walikale's capture in a statement from the armed group's Alliance Fleuve Congo political coalition late on Thursday,

RWANDA-backed M23 militia battling the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army captured another strategic town in the country’s mineral-rich east, residents and insurgents said on Thursday. This comes despite ceasefire calls this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents.

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.