BENI, Congo (AP) — Eastern Congo’s M23 rebels retreated Friday from some of the territory it held, the group’s first withdrawal since it began seizing swaths of land more than a year ago.
The rebels left the Kibumba area and its positions were taken over by the East African Regional Force - a multinational force charged with protecting the area. This retreat is in line with an agreement made last month at a summit in Angola, Lawrence Kanyuka the M23’s political spokesman said in a statement.
Kibumba, in the Nyiragongo territory of Congo’s North Kivu province, has been held by the M23 since November and it was the closest that the rebels got to Goma, eastern Congo’s regional capital.