M23 entered the city after seizing surrounding areas, including Ngora, Kisima, and Mubanda, on March 19, 2025. The DRC forces guarding the city retreated toward Kisangani, located in Tshopo province.
The fighting followed an offensive launched by the DRC army coalition on M23 positions in areas recently captured by the group in Walikale, including Mpofu and Kibua, which forced the coalition to retreat.
Clashes in Walikale began in early March after days of fierce battles between M23 fighters and the DRC military coalition in the western part of Masisi territory.
After M23 captured Nyabiondo and Kashebere on March 13, the American and Canadian-owned Alphamin company suspended tin mining operations at the Bisie mines.
Bisie produces 4% of the world's tin supply. In the first quarter of 2023, Alphamin extracted 3,187 tons of the valuable mineral from the site.
M23 has, in recent months, captured large swathes of territory in the North and South Kivu provinces, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu, in an escalating conflict with the Congolese government.
The rebels accuse President Félix Tshisekedi's administration of poor governance and decades of marginalization of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in the region, which has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of refugees.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/m23-captures-walikale-town-in-north-kivu
