The town of Masisi is located in a rich, mountainous location that provides access to the provincial capital of Gomi.
M23 rebel fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have taken control of a strategic city in the east of the central African country, local politicians say, adding to the armed group’s recent gains in the region.
On Saturday, the group took control of Masisi, a town and local administrative center about 80 km (50 miles) from the capital Goma, provincial parliament member Alexis Bahunga told Reuters news agency on Sunday.
“The government will take measures to restore state power in the entire territory,” he said.
Another member of parliament, Jean-Pierre Ayobangiru Safari, said Masisi was busy “for now”.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the anti-government Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the March 23 Movement (M23), said rebel forces had reached the center of Masisi by mid-afternoon on Saturday.
Local sources reported that thousands have been displaced by the fighting and are now seeking refuge in neighboring areas including Goma, which already hosts four million displaced people, Al Jazeera reporter Alain Uaykani said.
“The security situation remains very tense in the town of Masisi a day after the insurgents managed to capture this strategic area, the second largest [taken] from government forces,” he said from Goma.
“The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, continues to stand by his position that there will be no direct dialogue [with the group].”
The United Nations says nearly a million people fled their homes last year because of the conflict.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim Kigali rejects. Talks between the presidents of the two countries with the mediation of Angola they were suddenly canceled in mid-December due to a disagreement over the terms of the proposed peace agreement.
M23, which appeared more than ten years ago and was launching deadly attacks for yearsit is mainly located in the province of North Kivu, which is rich in resources.
Its leaders are mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group, who say one of their goals is to defend against Hutu-led forces that fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.
Their seizure of vast swaths of territory in eastern DRC and years of armed attacks have set it off a humanitarian crisis that has affected millions.
Masisi, with an estimated population of about 40,000, is the administrative capital of the agricultural, livestock and mineral-rich Masisi Territory.
His capture is a major gain for M23 and raises government concerns about the potential threat to nearby political and commercial centers such as Goma and Bukavu.
