M23 rebels look on in Kibumba in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 23, 2022. The Tutsi-led group has conquered swaths of territory in North Kivu province in recent months and come within several dozen kilometres of Goma. | Photo: AFP

 A major town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has fallen into the hands of M23 rebels amid renewed fighting with government troops, per multiple reports, as months of ceasefire is violated.

The M23 said it has captured Kitshanga town in the North Kivu Province, where a regional peacekeeping force has been deployed, AFP reported.

The powerful rebel group allegedly being backed by Rwanda has been battling government troops and proxies in the Masisi region.

The region has been mired in conflict for at least two decades, with different armed groups operating there despite the presence of UN peacekeeping forces since 1999.

Local media reported that several people have been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, while others have been displaced to churches.

“The rebels are in Kitshanga and we are trying to find a way to retake the town,” a source told AFP.

Kitshanga’s capture by M23 comes a month after the East Africa Community Force liberated the town and handed it to a pro-government militia group.

On October 9, DR Congo government spokesperson reiterated Kinshasa’s intention to expel the EAC force deployed by South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi to restore peace in the region wracked by hundreds of rebel groups.

Patrick Muyaya told BBC the regional troops should go “because they have not been able to resolve the problem”.