M23 rebels on Saturday captured the key town of Masisi in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a lawmaker from the restive North Kivu province has said, warning of “a serious humanitarian crisis”

Masisi, with a population of around 40,000, which lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the North Kivu provincial capital Goma, is rich in agriculture, livestock, and minerals.

Civil society and a local politician say rebels with the M23 group have seized two key towns in eastern Congo as they advance in the volatile region