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Fighting erupts in eastern DRC marking an end to ceasefire; M23 take control of Kalembe

FILE - South African soldiers, part of the Southern African Development Community's mission to fight against armed rebel groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo   -  
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Moses Sawasawa/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

Democratic Republic Of Congo

According to residents in the Democratic Republic of Congo's north Kivu region, Fighting erupted early Sunday between M23 rebels and government-allied militia, leaving more than a dozen civilians wounded.

M23 then claimed they had seized the town of Kalembe.

The fighting marks the end to an Angola-mediated ceasefire deal between the Congolese army and the M23, a group allegedly supported by Rwanda, that was agreed in August.

But peace discussions between Kinshasa and Rwandan authorities have since ground to a halt; fresh discussions are to be held in the coming days.

Rwanda deems the Hutu extremist group, FDLR, in eastern DRC a to be a danger to its frontier.

The M23 rebels, mainly composed of Tutsi fighters, have taken swathes of territory in eastern DRC after their offensive began 3 years ago.

Millions have been forced from their homes as a result of the fighting;

The violence has also triggered a humanitarian crisis, with the north Kivu region hit particularly hard. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, 13.7 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance.

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