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.

M23 rebels in Congo, backed by Rwanda, capture Walikale, dismissing calls for a ceasefire. This escalates a long-standing regional conflict, with implications for mineral-rich eastern Congo. Despite international pressure for peaceful talks with Kinshasa,

Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will engage in direct negotiations in the coming days to end the conflict in the country’s mineral-rich east, according to the presidency of Angola, which will mediate the talks.

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has taken control of the mining hub of Walikale in DR Congo, local sources said Thursday, despite attempts to broker

It is the first time two leaders have met since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels stepped up an offensive in the region, where authorities say 7,000 people have been killed since January. It is unclear whether the M23 would heed the ceasefire call,

The presidents of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which is backing a rebel siege in the eastern flank of its neighbor, pledged to ease tensions following a surprise meeting in Qatar.