Over 12 000 people have fled the  fresh fighting between rival factions of the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday

Simplice Kpanji  ,the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kinshasa told AFP that some people have fled to Ishasha, a government-controlled post on the border with Uganda.

He added that around 1 000 have settled in Kiwandja, near to the base of the UN mission MONUSCO

“We estimate that around 4 000 households, or around 12 000 people, have been displaced in the zone of Rutshuru in North-Kivu province “He said

Some 1 500 more were sheltering in a primary school at a military base in the north-eastern town of Rumangabo which serves as the headquarters of M23,News 24 reports

DR Congo’s neighbors Rwanda and Uganda are suspected of financing the rebels but deny the accusations.Peace talks have been going on in Kampala but they are yet to bear fruit.

According to UNHCR, 500 000 people have been displaced in North Kivu, the heart of the M23 rebellion, since the resurge in fighting last May, while a total 2.6 million have fled their homes across eastern DR Congo.
By UP