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| Government troops have captured a string of towns since the weekend |
Government troops in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo have recaptured a key military base from the M23
rebel group, an army spokesman has said.
Cheering crowds reportedly welcomed the troops as they entered Rumangabo
town, where the base is located.
It is the fifth rebel-held town to fall since fighting resumed last week.
The US has called for an end to the conflict, saying it was a "tinderbox"
that could escalate into a full-scale regional war.
Rwanda and Uganda deny persistent Congolese and UN allegations that the
neighbours are backing the rebel forces.
'Retreating rebels'
The UN Security Council is due to told emergency talks on the conflict later
on Monday.
The UN has deployed a new intervention brigade to eastern DR Congo with a
stronger mandate to confront armed groups.
On Sunday, the UN mission in DR Congo, Monusco, said a
Tanzanian peacekeeper was killed during fighting with the M23 in the town of
Kiwanja.
"The soldier died while protecting the people of Kiwanja," Monusco said in a
statement.
Peace talks between the government and M23, hosted by neighbouring Uganda,
broke down last week.
It ended about two months of relative calm in eastern DR Congo.
The government is re-establishing its rule in Rumangabo after government
forces entered the town on Monday, said North Kivu province governor Julien
Palukui.
"We have just held two meetings in order to discuss how to uplift the
population... and we are announcing the restoration of the civil service within
the next 24 hours.'' he added.
An Associated Press reporter travelling with the army said residents had
welcomed the soldiers.
Residents said rebel fighters fled on Sunday, firing shots into the air, AP
reports.
The military success in Rumangabo followed the capture
of four other areas - Kiwanja, Rutshuru, Buhumba and Kibumba - since the
weekend, the army said.
However, the victory in Rumangabo is the most significant, and will boost the
morale of the DR Congo army, correspondents say.
Rumangabo had one of the three biggest military bases in DR Congo before it
fell to the rebels last year, they say.
It had existed since the time of ex-ruler Mobutu Sese Seko.
The M23 had been using the base as a training camp.
At least 800,000 people have fled their homes in DR Congo since the M23
launched its rebellion in April 2012.
The US special envoy for the Great Lakes, Russell Feingold, said the fighting
should stop.
"I hope that President Kabila and others in the DRC see this chain of events
that have occurred as something that enhances their credibility as a military,
but that there are enormous risks in simply moving forward, believing that a
military solution is the full answer," Mr Feingold said, AFP news agency
reports.
"It risks bringing in other forces into this matter that could lead to a
cross-national war."
The rebels briefly occupied eastern DR Congo's main town, Goma, in November
2012 before pulling out under international pressure.
The M23 rebel movement is named after a 23 March 2009 peace deal that ended
four years of rebellion in eastern DR Congo.
The rebels complained the Congolese government had failed to honour the
agreement, which included integrating them into the army.
The M23 are mainly ethnic Tutsis, like most of Rwanda's leaders.
Eastern DR Congo has been wracked by conflict since 1994, when Hutu militias
fled across the border from Rwanda after carrying out a genocide against Tutsis
and moderate Hutus.
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