RWANDA-backed M23 militia battling the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army captured another strategic town in the country’s mineral-rich east, residents and insurgents said on Thursday.

This comes despite ceasefire calls this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents.

The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January when the M23 militia advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February.

The latest fighting came after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda held unexpected talks in Qatar on Wednesday and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. 

The meeting followed a failed attempt to bring Congo’s government and M23 leaders together for ceasefire negotiations on Tuesday, with the rebels pulling out after the European Union announced sanctions on militia leaders.

The rebels entered the town of Walikale late on Wednesday, according to local reports.

Taking Walikale gives the militia control of a road linking four provinces in eastern Congo — North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Maniema — and effectively cutting off Congolese army positions.

Fiston Misona, a civil society activist in Walikale, told reporters over the phone: “Our Congolese army is no longer fighting.

“It’s as if we were being sacrificed.”

In a statement, an umbrella group of insurgents including the M23 said they were committed to a ceasefire but that they entered Walikale to protect the population against what they alleged were attacks by the Congo army.

“We confirm that the town of Walikale, the capital of the Walikale territory, has been liberated by our forces in order to protect the population and their property,” the Congo River Alliance said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the Congolese government.

The Walikale area is home to the largest tin deposits in Congo and to several significant gold mines. The Bisie tin mine, about 35 miles north-west of the town, accounts for the majority of tin exports from North Kivu province.