HARARE, March 17. /TASS/. Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) are escalating offensives in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the scheduled start of peace talks with the country's authorities in Luanda on March 18, mediated by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the Actualite newspaper reported.

M23 fighters are advancing toward the towns of Banabangi and Mutakato, with heavy artillery fire on their approach. As of the morning of March 17, witnesses on the line of contact have yet to see any signs of the parties seeking a ceasefire that would create an environment suitable to the start of a peace dialogue in Luanda. Meanwhile, the security situation has worsened significantly in the Walikale area (North Kivu province), where rebels have captured the towns of Kibua and Mpofu, according to Actualite.

The foreign ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) are expected to agree on a joint roadmap for resolving the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo at a meeting in the Zimbabwean capital on March 17. The meeting is seen as a preparatory step for the Luanda talks.

On March 13, an emergency SADC summit on the security situation in the DRC decided to end the SADC peacekeeping force in the country and to gradually withdraw the contingent from the country.

M23 rebels have been on the offensive in eastern DRC since early 2025. They have taken control of significant territory in the provinces of North and South Kivu, including the administrative centers of Goma and Bukavu. The country's authorities accuse Rwanda of using regular army units to support the M23, a charge Kigali denies.