Some 102 men were executed by the Congolese government in the past week, and 70 more are set to be executed, the country’s minister of justice said Sunday.

Over 170 inmates have been flown from the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital, Kinshasa, to a high-security prison where they will be executed, according to authorities.

The men, aged 18 to 35, were reportedly armed robbers and “urban bandits,” locally known as Kulunas . They were executed at Angenga prison in northwest Congo, with 45 killed in late December and 57 executed in the last 48 hours.

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.

This is the second town seized by the M23 group in as many days in the mineral-rich North Kivu province. The group has taken control of vast swathes of eastern DR Congo since 2021

The Tutsi-led M23 group has been waging a renewed insurgency in eastern Congo since 2022. Congo and the United Nations accuse neighbouring Rwanda of backing the group with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda says it has taken what it calls defensive measures.

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested with 12 gold bars and $800,000 (£650,000) in cash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say. The gold and money was hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were travelling in,

The items were concealed under the seats of the suspects' vehicle during a search conducted in the Walungu area near the Rwandan border. Governor Purusi revealed that the arrests were the result of a secretive operation prompted by a tip-off.