Fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo between government and rebel forces in the eastern part of the country near the regional Goma has left 19 people dead.
Government spokesperson Lambert Mende told the BBC African Service that fighting in the area had continued for two consecutive days beginning from Monday.
Four government soldiers and 15 rebels died on Monday in the fighting in Goma, according to Mr. Mende.
The two sides exchanged artillery and mortar fire north of the city of Goma, with each side accusing the other of provoking the clashes.
Fighting in Mutaho, 10km east of Goma, broke out early on Tuesday after M23 rebels tried to take back positions lost to government forces previously.
This clash is believe to be the first between government troops and the M23 rebel forces since the rebels pulled out of Goma last year.
The United Nations has created a 3,000-strong brigade force to be sent to neutralize and disarm the rebels. The first contingent arrived last week in the country.
The United Nations also said it would speed up the deployment of a new intervention force in response to the violence in the country.
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters yesterday in New York that it is important to speed up process in deployment of troops to DR Congo.
“Considering what has happened I think we must expedite the deployment so they will be fully responsible as soon as possible,’’ The UN boss said.
The UN boss is also due to visit DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda later this week all in a bid to find a solution to the long standing conflict between rebels force and the government in DR. Congo.
The M23 rebels movement reportedly said in a statement that the military option taken by the government shows that the government is not committed to peace talks.
Meanwhile, Rwandan President Paul Kagame also told reporters that United Nations troops had in some cases made the situation in DR Congo worse than ever.
He also seems to agree with the M-23 rebels that military option is not entirely the only way to bring peace to the Democratic Republic of Congo as he was quoted as saying that “any military effort to bring peace to DR Congo needed to be “properly co-ordinated” with political efforts’’.
He finally dismissed a long-standing United Nations allegation that Rwanda backed the M23 rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The United Nations report last year say that Some 800,000 people have fled fighting since the M23 launched its rebellion last year in the eastern part of the country.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
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