Congo Military Clashes With Rwanda Rebels
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The Democratic Republic of Congo army lost territory Monday in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern DRC, military and local sources said, a day after a peace summit between the presidents of the two countries was canceled.
DRC armed forces lost control of Matembe, a town in North Kivu province located on the road to the key commercial hub of Butembo, after clashes broke out Sunday with the M23 rebel military group, according to the local and military sources.
Fighting resumed early Monday “in the hills between Matembe and the neighboring town of Vutsorovya”, John Mahangaiko, spokesman for a pro-Kinshasa militia operating alongside the army in the area, told AFP.
A Congolese military source confirmed that the army was forced to “retreat.”
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame were due to meet Sunday, hosted by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union mediator to end the conflict.
But the summit was abruptly canceled after talks between delegations from both sides stalled overnight.
The Congolese presidency said that negotiations had hit a roadblock over a Rwandan demand that the DRC hold direct dialogue with the M23 rebels.
