Ceasefire breaks down in Walikale as rebels accuse army of violations

 A de facto ceasefire between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the eastern town of Walikale collapsed on Monday, with the rebels retracting their pledge to withdraw.

The rebels accused the army of failing to honour its commitments.

The ceasefire had briefly raised hopes for renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The conflict, fueled by competition for control of mineral resources and the legacy of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, had led to rebel control of key eastern cities, thousands of deaths, and fears of a broader regional war.

Just 48 hours after the rebels pledged to withdraw from Walikale, the situation unraveled as the M23 accused the Congolese army of not pulling back its attack drones from the region.

Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the M23’s Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebel coalition, stated that this failure was a major obstacle to upholding the ceasefire.

In spite of the ceasefire’s breakdown, residents reported that rebel fighters remained visible in Walikale on Monday morning.

Negotiations between Congo and the rebels have repeatedly failed, and M23 had withdrawn from previous peace talks in protest of sanctions against its leaders.

Angola, which had been facilitating talks, expressed frustration with the failure of the diplomatic process and withdrew its mediation efforts.

Meanwhile, Rwanda denied providing support to M23, maintaining that its military was acting in self-defense against Congolese forces and a militia linked to the 1994 genocide.

The United Nations, Western nations, and Congo have all accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, although Rwanda denies these claims.