The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) has seized the towns of Kalonge and Bitale in South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after an offensive against Congolese government troops, according to reports from the region on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses told a local radio station that the rebels entered Bitale on Saturday morning, advancing through Masanganjiya, while Congolese soldiers fighting alongside Wazalendo militia withdrew towards Myowe village. Government forces were still reported to be present in nearby Bulambika.

The rebels also took control of Kalonge, a settlement inside the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, where local sources said FRN fighters had been visible since late on Saturday afternoon, including around the group leader's house in Fendula. The fighters were reported to have reached Kalonge through Kabare, Mudaka, Biega and Kasurusiru.

The advance followed a day of widespread clashes across South Kivu, with fighting reported in Kabare, Kalehe, Fizi, Mwenga and Walungu territories. The FRN is the movement led by former president Joseph Kabila, which replaced the AFC/M23 in October, and the latest gains underline how the conflict in the east continues to spread despite the peace talks under way in Doha.

The situation in the two towns remained unclear on Sunday, with no independent confirmation from the Congolese government and limited access for outside observers. The two towns sit in a strategically important corridor in South Kivu, and the reported seizure adds fresh pressure to peace efforts already strained by repeated ceasefire violations. Source: Taarifa Rwanda