M23’s success comes after a surprise meeting between the presidents of Congo and Rwanda in Qatar, where they pledged to ease tensions.

Rwanda-backed rebels battling Congo’s army have pushed into a strategic, mineral-rich town in the east, ignoring calls for a ceasefire this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents as the M23 rebel group expands its footprint in the conflict-torn African country.

(Bloomberg) -- Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured a third major town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, expanding their stranglehold over the country’s mineral-rich east.