President Paul Kagame of Rwanda urged Congolese authorities Thursday 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.
M23 is the most prominent of the more than 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich area near the Congolese border with Rwanda where more than 1 million people were displaced by fighting last year. Last month it captured the towns of Katale and Masisi, the latter located 80 kilometers (49 miles) west of the regional capital, Goma, a strategic entry point into the Congolese interior.
