DRC fighting forces 200,000 people to flee as M23 advances, dozens killed

"The latest fighting comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington, DC. The accord did not include the rebels, who are negotiating separately with the DRC and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse each other of violating, but it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups."

"Despite the renewed fighting just beginning on Monday, the M23 has managed to capture several strongholds, including Uvira now, a big gain, said Al Jazeera's Alain Uaykani, reporting from Goma, the biggest city in the eastern DRC. Uvira has not just been a military base but also the administrative place for the government since they were chased out from the town of Bukavu in January, he said. So it was almost like a stronghold of the government position, from where they reorganised themselves, Uaykani said, adding that it was also a place the government was hoping to chase out the rebels from."

"There is no DRC army in sight because the majority of them took the boat yesterday to cross into the neighbouring province of Tanganyika, and the majority of them are still making their way forward, he added. Gunshots were heard in the morning in the key city, and the army looted the governor's office while leaving the town, Uaykani said."

M23 armed forces advanced on Uvira in South Kivu, seizing the strategic city and multiple strongholds in a renewed offensive. The United Nations reported at least 74 killed and about 200,000 people displaced in recent days. Thousands of civilians and many Congolese soldiers fled toward neighbouring Burundi and Tanganyika province, with troops reportedly crossing by boat and looting the governor's office while withdrawing. A US-mediated agreement between the DRC and Rwanda obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups, but the accord excluded the rebels and faces strain as M23 continues its gains.

Read at www.aljazeera.com