M23 rebel fighters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have taken control of a strategic town in the east of the Central African country, local politicians say, adding to the armed group’s recent gains in the region.

The Tutsi-led M23 group’s recent battlefield successes are reminiscent of the offensive carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other Syrian rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has urged Congolese authorities to negotiate with a violent rebel group that has seized key towns in eastern Congo in recent days, widening its control over the region which borders Rwanda.

Civil society and a local politician say rebels with the M23 group have seized two key towns in eastern Congo as they advance in the volatile region.

Rebel forces backed by Rwanda have captured the town of Masisi in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to various reports. This is the second town seized by the M23 group in as many days in the mineral-rich North Kivu province.

The Tutsi-led group has been waging a renewed insurgency since 2022; the captured town is near the provincial capital Goma

Masisi, with a population of around 40,000, which lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the North Kivu provincial capital Goma, is rich in agriculture, livestock, and minerals.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels moved closer Friday to a key town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, capturing a nearby area, sources told AFP.